Helios
by Silvan Shrew
Summary: Almost 5000 years before the Battle of Yavin, a lone Jedi Padawan is kidnapped by Sith and forced to join a young apprentice in a gruelling initiation ritual.
1. Choices

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is almost AU. I decided to make it in the past, as it suits the story's content best. To all the people who have read the comics pertaining this era in Star Wars history, please excuse any inconsistencies, as I am not all that familiar with that time.  
  
A 'ysalamiri' crystal is a little vial of fluid filled with ysalamiri blood. These creatures create a bubble in the Force when they are alive.  
  
The words between the // are in italics. ' ' indicate thoughts or telepathy.  
  
AGE RESTRICTION: R for sexual situations, adult concepts and rather graphic violence later in the story. (This is the Sith we're talking about, here!)  
  
This chapter is PG-13.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any names, places or objects you may recognize (Jedi, Sith, the Force, lightsabers, ysalamiri, etc.). I'm certainly not making any money out of this. The character Koja belongs to my good friend Jo-lee.  
  
-HELIOS-  
  
PROLOGUE  
  
It is almost five millennia before the Republic and the Jedi Temple came into existence. Sith are numerous throughout the Galaxy, and the Jedi train in scattered academies.  
  
A lone Jedi Padawan, Koja Jime, has been kidnapped by the Sith while on a mission and brought to the Sith fortress on the isolated world of Helios.  
  
The planet of Helios was almost unknown, situated as it was on the edge of Wild Space. It had a small number of inhabitants and no trade relations to any other worlds. Helios was far from its star, but not devoid of life. It was a cold planet, and plants struggled to survive on the flat, barren plains. The thin layer of unfrozen topsoil also hosted the hardiest species of lichen and mosses. The world did not host a large array of life - be it flora or fauna - because its harsh conditions just demanded too much from its inhabitants.  
  
Large herds of herbivores called steshma antelopes migrated across the wind-blasted surface, to and from breeding- and feeding- grounds. Solitary, bulky gerr roamed their large territories, always on the lookout for an unwary victim. Large, scrawny birds circled the bleak skies, searching for tiny creatures or anything that had succumbed to the cold. Indeed, it was always the strongest that survived. Weakness meant death. But it was not only the animals that struggled to thrive under this harsh plight. The sentient inhabitants of Helios believed in the same.  
  
On the southern edge of one of the three continents, about a hundred kilometers west of one of the frozen seas lay a large, fortress-like building, the only one of its kind on the whole planet. It was built of the strongest, thickest stone to avert the cutting winds and the cold. It had been affectionately named Irrchanor Kag in the old Sith speech, meaning 'Ice Blood'.  
  
Although it was a small academy, it produced good fighters, and prided itself in their elite toughness; for which they gave credit to their planet. Extremely few other people knew much about Helios, except other Darksiders. The Heliosian Sith, however, often left the planet to make raids on neighboring inhabited worlds, taking what they needed. The intimidated, baffled authorities often wondered where these cruel, graceful, grotesque creatures had come from, but had little success tracking their ships as they left on some unknown hyperspace route back to their haunt.  
  
Chapter 1 - Choices  
  
The Leader's Chamber was large and warm. Old, valuable hangings adorned the black stone walls, depicting in golden thread victorious battles and great warlords of the past. Thick, shimmering white gerr rugs were spread over the floor. Five glow torches attached to the walls just under ceilings cast a warm, bright glow about the windowless room.  
  
Taren stood before his Master, eyes respectfully lowered to the ground. He could barely contain the excited shivers running through him.  
  
The powerful old Gornyshian stood before his student, studying the boy's slender form. The Master was one of the dozen or so of his species that had been born Force sensitive. He was one of the only two that had embraced the greater Dark Side. He had shaved his long fur off, and had allowed the smooth flesh beneath to be tattooed . . . something that any other of his kind would never have done, for Gornyshians took great pride in their long, gray fur coat. Master Kashorm, however, had found the long locks to be a hindrance in lightsaber duels, and he had been taunted because of this. Now, however, all respected and feared him, especially now that the two spike-like horns on his elbows and ankles could be seen more clearly. He had sharpened the four curved ones on his temples too for emphasis.  
  
He was rather proud of his student, but did not let any of these emotions to surface. Instead he just kept a tiny bit of almost- satisfaction drifting from his mind.  
  
"Boy . . . the Masters have decided that you are ready for the Initiation Passage. In the adjacent room to your left are the slaves you can choose from. They are all relatively new. You'll be able to keep the one you choose until she does not satisfy you anymore. After you have chosen a slave, you must go to your chamber and prepare yourself. You will be leaving tomorrow early."  
  
The student bowed, but kept his face impassive. "Thank you, my Master." He kept his strides long, resisting the urge to run to the closed door the Master had indicated.  
  
There were about a dozen females in the room; some had been whispering to each other, but all froze when he entered. All of them looked up at him fearfully as he closed the door behind him. He let his eyes sweep over them, keeping a menacing look on his face.  
  
Almost all looked human, but his eyes fixed on a . . . Bothan, he thought she was. He wondered what sleeping with an alien would be like. The female stared at him, intelligent golden eyes boring into him. Her creamy coat looked smooth, and a white fur ruff was just visible above the collar of her low-cut dress slave's dress. Her delicate, paw-like hands rested on her knees. She did not seem to have much in the form of breasts . . . and when she snarled at him he got a good view of her sharp teeth. He wondered how he could get past those if he wanted to kiss her. In the end he decided against choosing her. He was sure Vernko, the Shistavenan Wolfman student, would rather want the Bothan.  
  
Taren swept his gaze over the faces once more. He spotted a pretty, almond-eyed human staring at him. He moved over to her and ran a hand down her cheek. She had hair as black as her eyes, which were now on him, shining impassively. He bent down and kissed her. She responded easily, but flinched when he brushed a hand over her breast. The Sith gave a small leer and moved to the next one, wondering what exactly he was looking for.  
  
The next female was also a human, with long flaxen hair. She had drawn her knees up to her chest and was looking in another direction. He took her by the jaw and turned her head to face him. He didn't like that scar she had on her forehead. Others might have thought it gave her an air of innocence...or strength or something . . . but not Taren. He studied her chest, one of the best he'd seen so far, but he was sure he'd come across a better girl.  
  
There was also slender, exotic-looking alien female. She had smooth, hairless dark turquoise skin and two dozen headtails fell down her shoulders. Her huge ink-blue eyes regarded him dolefully, the stare containing a mixture of repulsion, fear and curiosity. Her small full lips were twisted into a shrewd smile. The Sith had to refrain from frowning. Yes, exotic she was . . . beautiful in a very strange way. But no, she was even less human than the Bothan before her. She didn't even look mammalian.  
  
He went on, touching and examining the females as if they were drought animals for sale at some Agamarian market. Then he got to the third- last girl. This one was smaller than the rest, but no less beautiful. And then he felt it. The pulsing aura she gave off. Yes, she was a Force-sensitive, like him. He laid a hand on her thin trembling shoulder.  
  
"You Jedi?" he asked, voice loud in the silent room. The girl stared up at him. She was not bad looking, like most of the girls in here . . . But none of /them/ were sensitive to the Force. He was sure of that.  
  
She gave a nod before looking away.  
  
This one was a lot more afraid than most of the others. She was not frightened of the /unknown,/ because she /didn't/ know what was going to happen to her, like the others. She was afraid because she knew what would happen. She had been through this before. Taren wondered how she had escaped from her previous captor. He smiled inwardly. He was sure he'd do better than the one who'd had her before. This time, she would not get away from this academy.  
  
"Come on," he murmured. "You're the one I choose."  
  
As they entered the warmly lit Chamber once more, Taren felt the elders regarding him silently. There was an amused glint in Master Kashorm's yellow eyes. The student guessed this was either because the Master had reckoned the Jedi to be his choice, or, that he was surprised by it.  
  
He led the girl up next to him and bowed his head. "Master."  
  
Kashorm nodded. "Good. You know where to leave her for the night."  
  
The younger Sith was about to turn around to leave when Master Jeiltar moved up next to his Master. He knew that the Gornyshian didn't particularly like him. Just then he felt a familiar presence behind him. He turned around.  
  
Jalekk stood in the large doorway. They had never gotten along well, ever since he could remember. They had both competed for the rare praises from the head Master, Zadonn. In short, they had always been competing for the same thing. And none of them seemed to ever have managed to beat the other. Even now. Taren could only take some comfort in the fact that he had been called to the Leader's Chamber first. And that he probably would get back to the Academy first from Initiation. "Student, wait.'' Master Kashorm's quiet command brought his head around again.  
  
The other Master spoke up. "You will both be going onto your Initiation Passage together. Both of you have half the map in your minds . . . If one of you abandons the other . . . getting back will be difficult, to say the least." He smiled, but it was not an encouraging or friendly smile.  
  
Jalekk spoke up. "Masters, Taren and I will co-operate well. And we will both return to the academy."  
  
He had spoken well, keeping any malice or taunting out of his stupid, harsh-sounding, up-sucking voice.  
  
Behind him, Taren quickly nodded and turned, taking the slave with him.  
  
Taren wanted to whip out his lightsaber and slash the closest statue to smoking granules of byrnstone. He hated Jalekk, and now, to go on Initiation with him . . .! He gave an irritated growl, which was supposed to have been a sigh, and strode on down the gloomy passage.  
  
"You don't like him, do you?"  
  
He looked at the slave. "Is it that obvious?"  
  
She nodded quietly and didn't speak further.  
  
He glanced down at her. "So, how old are you?" He wanted to get his mind off the next week or so.  
  
"Seventeen standard years," she replied.  
  
"Good. That's as old as I am."  
  
Finally they came to a silver door decorated with stylized engravings of snarling gerr. 'Rather fitting.' the Sith thought as he tapped it twice. A nice reminder of what was out there, during Initiation.  
  
A tall woman a few years his senior opened the door. She bowed. "Master."  
  
He looked at her haughtily and said, "Tomorrow this one's coming with me to Initiation. You know what to do."  
  
The raven-haired woman nodded. "Of course, sir."  
  
Then Taren turned and left for his own sleeping chambers.  
  
The woman gently took Taren's slave by the arm and led her into the large room. She gave a small smile as she looked into the girl's face. "I'm Sitah. What do they call you?"  
  
She smiled back. "I'm Koja. Koja Jime."  
  
The woman nodded. "Ah.'' Her eyes fell on the small vial attached to the girl's silver necklace. "Jedi, no?"  
  
Koja nodded.  
  
Sitah gave a small chuckle and sighed. She motioned to a few comfortable-looking chairs. "Sit."  
  
The Jedi did as she was told.  
  
Then Sitah moved over to the small thermal grid in the corner and poured some steaming drink from a triangular pot. She placed the beverage down in front of Koja on the large stone slab that served as a low table. "Drink,"  
  
Koja stared at the woman. "How long have you been here?"  
  
Sitah moved to the far wall to a large cupboard. "Me? Must be about ten rotation cycles, now . . . " she chuckled again. "And a cycle here is longer than a standard year, let me tell you that.'' She opened the cupboard and removed a pile of synthplas-covered clothing.  
  
The Jedi took a sip of the beverage - it tasted of herbs and was dark green. "What is it you do here?"  
  
Sitah pulled the white synthplas sheets off the garments. "Well, I just outfit all the slaves that need to be with stuff to go on Initiation . . . And hope the males don't get sick of me and run me through any time soon. Although that wouldn't be a bad option . . . " She rummaged around, sorting all the different types of clothing into heaps on a large, russet couch. "You look rather small . . . Maybe this cloak . . . and these boots . . . "  
  
"What exactly /is/ Initiation?" the girl wanted to know next.  
  
The other woman looked up. "Full of questions, aren't you, my dear? Well, it's all right. I prefer your company to one of theirs' . . . " She laughed again. "If you know what I mean. Anyway, Initiation is one of their fancy words for, well . . . " she paused. "When a young Sith comes of age, don't ask me how they figure that out, they take a long trip to some place, and come back again. Rather pointless if you ask me. Anyway, this young Sith is given a slave - and since they haven't, well, been to bed with anyone yet . . . They do that on Initiation . . ." She smiled again. "And if they don't, well, their Masters have ways to find out with their little hocus-pocus tricks . . . " She stared hard at Koja. "You ought to know." Sitah picked up a long, thin black shirt. "Come here, girl . . . "  
  
The Jedi set down her mug and walked over to the other woman.  
  
Sitah held the shirt against the Koja's shoulders to see how it fit. "All you have to do is pray you don't run into a gerr and keep the guy's pants happy."  
  
Koja smiled thinly and nodded.  
  
"This seems to fit," the woman said, tossing the shirt onto the closest chair.  
  
Next came a long-sleeved coal-black dress, which buttoned down the front. Then Sitah chose a thick pair of tights, dark gray trousers, long thick socks; a thick hooded parka lined with gray fur. Then came a red fur-lined cloak, also with hood. Lastly were knee-high waterproof boots, snow goggles, long mittens and a black scarf.  
  
Koja could only stare at the huge pile that had accumulated on the chair.  
  
Sitah grinned. "Believe me, you'll be thankful for all of that. It can get rather /cold/ out there."  
  
Just then there was a loud, heavy knock on the door. The other woman quickly moved over to it, and worked the controls - it slid open to reveal a Sith and another girl.  
  
Koja watched as a curt exchange occurred between her and the Darksider. Then he left, leaving his new slave in the doorway.  
  
The newcomer was a brunette, with ice-blue eyes and was slightly taller than Koja. She looked rather unsettled, and quickly pulled the strap of her dress back onto her shoulder, wiping a long strand of wavy hair behind an ear.  
  
Sitah took her by the arm. "Are you okay?"  
  
The girl's eyes flashed. "The damned sharrit!'' she spat in accented Basic, using a word that probably described some foul animal from her home world.  
  
"Hey . . . it's okay." The older woman said quietly. "You should get used to it . . .?"  
  
"Kairal . . . Vornei si Kairal,"  
  
"Get used to it, Kairal dear . . .'' Sitah looked at Koja.  
  
The other girl sunk down on a chair, a scared, confused look on her face. "Who are these people? What do they want?"  
  
The Jedi caught Sitah's eye and moved over to the girl's chair, kneeling next to it. As best she could, she gave Kairal an explanation of the Force, Jedi, Sith and their rituals; trying to stay as brief and uncomplicated as possible, which wasn't easy.  
  
After Koja had finished, Kairal looked at her, unbelieving. She was fighting hard to stop from crying, the Jedi knew. She stood up slightly and hugged the girl. "It's not as bad as it sounds . . ." 'It's worse.' But until now, her friends had always come to get her. Hopefully they'd do the same now. Sitah handed the girl a cup of the brew.  
  
After Kairal had finished her drink, the older woman called her over to give her the clothes and accessories.  
  
Later, when Sitah was in one corner packing something, Koja and the girl were both sitting on the couch.  
  
Kairal still looked worried, perhaps more than before. The Jedi leaned forward to look at her. "Hey . . . can I give you some . . . tips?"  
  
The girl nodded sullenly.  
  
"Usually a Sith is always in a hurry - you know what I mean - so make sure he doesn't make the move too quickly. Stall for as long as possible, if you can, and it'll hurt . . .less . . . when he does.''  
  
Kairal stared at her blankly, then she nodded. "I understand."  
  
Koja reached over and took the other girl by the wrists. "Please . . . when it happens . . . try to relax, and at least try to enjoy it physically. Everything will be a lot easier that way. Don't make him angry, he'll only hurt you more."  
  
The other girl nodded again and swallowed. "Okay." She gave a tiny watery smile. ''Thank you for the advice."  
  
Koja didn't smile. "I can't say it was a pleasure."  
  
Just then Sitah walked over to them. "Come on, you two. Time to get some sleep. Those two beds are for you . . . I'll take the couch. Hurry now. Tomorrow's a big day." 


	2. New Masters

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any names, places or objects you may recognize (Jedi, Sith, the Force, lightsabers, ysalamiri, etc.). I'm certainly not making any money out of this.  
  
Chapter 2 - New Masters  
  
The next morning early Sitah woke them with breakfast, which consisted of soft bread-like biscuits and sweet tea.  
  
"Enjoy, it'll be the biggest and best breakfast you'll get in a long time. She informed them in her usual cheery manner.  
  
After that the woman told them to have a shower. Koja told Kairal to go first, and the girl disappeared behind the partitioned corner. While the water splashed, Sitah and the Jedi took all of her clothes and deposited them just inside the entrance of the cubicle. After a while she came out, looking rather bulky but refreshed.  
  
Then it was Koja's turn and while she was showering, Sitah helped the other girl with her hair.  
  
The shower was nothing spectacular, here was not even a hot/cold setting - only a constant dribble of lukewarm water. But there were a lot of different soaps, shampoos, perfumes and lotions; something the Jedi was glad for. After she was as clean as she could get, she dried herself with one of the black-white towels and put on her 'new' set of clothing. She'd put on her headgear and mittens later. A few minutes later, just after Kairal had plaited Koja's hair, the first knock sounded on the door. Koja recognized it as 'her' Sith's.  
  
Sitah smiled. "Well, there's the first one. The other one ought to be here in a few moments. Both of you, take these packs." She handed them two small light bags. "And good luck." The two girls took them.  
  
"Thank you for all your help." Kairal said, slinging her pack over her shoulder.  
  
"Same here," the Jedi intoned. "Thanks, Sitah."  
  
The other woman just grinned. "Hey, it's my job." She moved forward to open the door.  
  
The brown-haired Sith shoved past her the second she opened it. "Stupid woman!" he growled at Sitah. And to Koja he said, "Come on, it's time for us to get going."  
  
She nodded, noting that her snow goggles, scarf and mittens had been secured to her bag.  
  
Just then the other Sith also came in by the door. This one had dark blond hair and brown eyes. He was taller than Koja's, and now there was a leer on his face.  
  
"Taren . . . Having some trouble with the women already?" As he spoke, he moved over to Kairal and snapped a silver chain to her left wrist. She was scowling at him.  
  
Taren, the brown-haired one, spat a short word in the Sith tongue and did the same with his slave. Then the quartet set off down the passage and turned a right into a wider one. Then they reached a foyer, with two huge black doors on the far wall, where the two Sith Masters were standing.  
  
Master Kashorm gave a toothy smile and said, "All we can say is, may the Force be with you."  
  
Beside him, Jalekk's teacher gave a curt nod. Then he punched in the code that opened the doors. No light flooded in, just icy cold, rushing to bite at their exposed faces and hands. The two initiates ignored the wind and tugged at their slaves' chains, giving one last bow to their Masters.  
  
It was still dark outside, and the only sound that reached their ears was the eerie howl of the wind. In the gloom they could make out small hummocks of ground in the almost flat plain beyond.  
  
Taren steered them right, and they headed off in that direction. Both the slaves put on their scarves and mittens and pulled up both their hoods about ten minutes after they had left the academy. The Sith followed suit five minutes later.  
  
The ground was hard and sometimes the scrape of loose pebbles could be felt underfoot. Sometimes they flattened frozen plants in their path.  
  
It hurt to breathe, and talking would have been a wasted effort, with the wind. The party just trudged along; all glad for the many layers of clothing they were wearing.  
  
About an hour later the sun rose on the horizon, a diminutive orb of flaming pink-red. As it ascended, it turned the sky gray, and allowed them to see the vast plains stretched out before them. It was all gray. Even the scarce plants were gray-brown, or gray-green. Sometimes there were little clumps of short, stiff grass. There were even less scraggly, leaning shrubs.  
  
Everything looked dead and lonely, which it was. Only once that whole day they saw two dark specks wheeling in the distance, buffeted by the wind. These scavenger birds were the only animals they came across.  
  
* * *  
  
They had been walking for about nine hours when the sun started setting. The Sith stood close to each other and had a heated argument because Jalekk insisted they put up camp now and the other said that they could at least keep going for another hour. Then Jalekk pointed out that blizzards started at nightfall and that the cold might surprise them if they were not bedded down any time soon.  
  
Eventually Taren gave in and they spent a further half an hour finding a suitable spot, at the foot of a small hill, to protect them from the wind. Of course, there had been another argument as to which way the wind actually blew.  
  
Finally the Sith started constructing the two shelters in the gathering dusk, while their slaves looked on, weary and battered. Both girls guessed they would be getting used to it.  
  
After a while the Sith decided they'd set up the shelters right and gesturing for the girls to come in.  
  
The two girls hugged.  
  
"Remember what I told you," Koja said to the other.  
  
Kairal nodded. "I will."  
  
Then they separated and left for their separate retreats.  
  
Taren was waiting for her, crouching in the low round entrance. He moved aside to let her enter, and then shut the flap securely. It was dark inside, and she heard the Sith rummaging around and then a small glow torch flared to life.  
  
The Sith stood the glow torch in the center of the small, tent-like shelter.  
  
"It will get warmer soon," he told Koja as he unlocked the chain from her wrist.  
  
Then she helped him spread out the thick groundsheet he'd carried. She crouched down next to him on it, and followed suit when he seated himself. She lowered her hoods and took her mittens off, stuffing them into her own pack.  
  
Taren did the same and pulled out a small box. He opened it and stretched out his hand, offering her the contents. Koja saw that the box contained cubes of dried meat. She helped herself to two and chewed on them. He took a swig of the water he'd brought along, and after she'd finished her first cube of meat he offered her some too, which she gratefully accepted.  
  
After they had finished eating, the Sith packed the food away again and stretched, yawning.  
  
"I'm tired," he murmured.  
  
She nodded and suppressed a yawn herself.  
  
Slowly, the Sith started removing his clothing. This went on until he was only wearing his trousers and a long-sleeved shirt.  
  
He looked at the girl. "Don't you want to take off some of that, too? It's quite warm already,"  
  
Hesitantly she undressed, until she was clad in only the long shirt.  
  
The Sith stared at her as they were both bathed in the bright, warm glow of the torch. "Now I can finally see you," Gently he ran a hand down her cheek. It felt warm and strong.  
  
Then Taren turned away from her and pulled out the blanket from his pack. He spread it out on the groundsheet. He then beckoned to the Jedi and he moved under the blanket, pulling his cloak over as well.  
  
She brought the red cloak too and slipped in beside him, spreading the garment over them.  
  
He lay on his side and pulled her to face him. She stared into his soft peach-colored eyes as he gently put a hand on her shoulder. They remained like that for long minutes until she spoke.  
  
"You don't have to do it tonight, you know . . . you have at least five nights left."  
  
Taren looked deeply into Koja's eyes, lightly kneading her shoulder. "Even though you cannot use the Force you know what lies in my heart," He moved his hand across and up to her face, and gently moved his fingers down her cheek and touched her lips. Then the Sith leaned forward and lightly touched her lips with his tongue-tip. Then he took her again by the arms and pulled her even closer, so that their bodies almost touched beneath the thick blankets. He probed her mouth again and Koja slowly parted her lips.  
  
They spent about an hour of the night just gently kissing, occasionally caressing the other's face. Just enjoying the closeness and warmth.  
  
It was all the reluctant Sith wanted. He had never had a woman before. Or, at least, one that he could enjoy without the constant fear of discovery; and after, punishment.  
  
After both of them had rid their bodies of any energy they had still contained, the two Force-sensitives lay next to each other, staring at the slanted white ceiling of the shelter. The unceasing glow of the torch was snuffed out when the Sith reached out and pressed a button.  
  
The girl moved closer to him and kept her back lightly pressing against his chest, fingers curled around his hand as he draped his arm over her shoulder.  
  
* * *  
  
The next day dawned, and it was quiet when they awoke. The Sith offered the Jedi some food, which she accepted, and then they both dressed again, a rather arduous task. After that they set out to pack everything. The wind had settled and only a cold light breeze was present.  
  
They were busy disassembling their shelter when Jalekk and his slave stepped out of theirs, fully dressed.  
  
While the males packed away the poles and folded the insular covering- sheets, their two slaves moved over to stand close to each other.  
  
"How was your night?" Koja asked the other girl.  
  
Kairal looked fine, but there was no happy glint in her eyes, either. "It was okay . . . We just kissed and he touched me . . . in certain places,"  
  
The Jedi deduced that he had not hurt her.  
  
Then the other girl looked at her. "What happened to you?"  
  
"Nothing much. He was rather reluctant."  
  
Kairal smiled and nodded. "This isn't as bad as I thought it would be."  
  
"Come on, you two. Let's get going." Jalekk called to them.  
  
* * *  
  
That day was no different from the one before, with Taren leading the way across the barren tundra. Once they startled a small flock of scavenger birds from a large carcass. The Sith referred to these birds as kinz-shteinot, which was Sith speech, and translated into Basic roughly meant 'patient stalker'.  
  
The birds circled above them restlessly as the four youths gathered around the dead beast.  
  
Taren prodded the stiff carcass with a foot. The four-legged creature was large and had short gray-white fur. Its black-blue eyes were half- closed and stared up at the sky sightlessly. The beast's tongue hung out, colored dark purple from the cold. It also had long, pointed fangs. Its side had been torn open by the scavenger birds, and frozen dark red innards could be seen within the jagged lacerations.  
  
"Gerr," the brown-haired Sith informed all of them, although he didn't have to. "Died . . . from age, I think," A white steam cloud rose from his mouth.  
  
Koja studied the creature's huge bulk and understood why no one wanted to meet a living one. The predator probably stood about two meters on four legs, and it had long, retractable claws just visible, protruding from its long, fur-covered toes. The spiked ears and blunt, jowled nose added to the creature's grotesque, cruel features.  
  
Jalekk glanced up at the specks far up in the sky - at the birds - and said, "Come on, we're wasting time,"  
  
* * *  
  
That evening they made camp in a small hollow in the barren soil.  
  
The wind had picked up and buffeted the sides of the shelter, making a rustling roar as it pummeled the strong material.  
  
"I think it will snow tonight," Taren remarked, pulling a small metal pan out of his bag. Koja watched as he also took out a small satchel containing slender dry leaves. He then poured some water into the container from his water bottle and fixed it to the glow torch. "Which means more water," he smiled.  
  
She nodded in turn. "Well, at least we won't have to worry about starving to death."  
  
He grinned at the fake humor of the situation and spread the groundsheet on the canvas floor of their shelter. He spread his cloak over it and, in turn, laid the blanket over this.  
  
The girl had already started pulling her outer garments off, spreading them over the open space on the opposite side of the glow torch. The Sith followed suit, removing his parka and thick trousers.  
  
By then the water had started bubbling in the little pot and he tossed in a few of the long, grass-like leaves.  
  
He took two synthplas mugs and a spoon from the pack and stirred the mixture.  
  
"This is buir tea . . . We grow it in the academy's greenhouse."  
  
Koja nodded as she inhaled the sweet, herbal aroma the boiling leaves gave off. She thought about it a moment and had to suppress a laugh.  
  
The youth stared at her. "What's the matter?"  
  
"I can't imagine a Sith gardening, that's all . . ."  
  
He glanced to the side. "Well, someone has to do it . . . " He met her eyes again. "But after this . . . /I'll/ be the one overseeing the young ones working in the greenhouse."  
  
He stirred the brew some more and then poured the tea into the mugs. He handed one to the Jedi and she gratefully sipped the hot beverage. As she drank, she listened to the fierce howl of the wind outside and shivered. She was glad for the shelter. At this rate, she was sure that no person, not even Sith or Jedi, would survive a night out there.  
  
The Sith also handed her the box with their rations of dried meat, and took some for himself. They sipped the tea and ate the meat, and Koja often noticed his pensive eyes on her, slowly running over her entire body. But, to her amazement, she wasn't afraid of the rest of the night, of what he might do to her.  
  
After their meal, the initiate packed the empty pan away, packing the used tea leaves into a mug, and put the rest of the utensils into his bag.  
  
She sat on the bed, watching him. She did not move when he drew closer to her and took her by the arms.  
  
"Koja . . . " Taren whispered, an urgent tone in his voice. "Koja, get under the covers," He pulled the blanket far back and she complied, lying down on her back. He brought her crimson cloak over as well. Then, laying the cloak next to their makeshift mattress, he ran his fingers gently down her cheek.  
  
"Relax," he murmured, probably more for his own sake than for hers, he thought in retrospect. He looked at the slave, lying dead still, looking up at him with questioning, expectant eyes.  
  
Slowly, hesitantly, he moved down and put his hands on her thighs, and applied pressure, gently easing her legs apart. Then, trying to slow his heart, he knelt between her legs, and once more ran a reassuring hand down her face. He moved his hands to the hem of her shirt, and slowly pulled it upwards. She arched her back, and he pulled the garment over her head and laid it to the side. He caught his breath as he stared at her chest. He had never really seen any slave's breasts, despite what he had told most of his comrades.  
  
He reached out to touch her, but then drew his hand back, shaking his head. Taren then moved his trembling fingers down to her waist, where the last of her clothing lay. He moved his eyes along with the soft cloth as he pulled it down. Then he moved aside and pulled it away. The Sith then stepped back between her now-bare legs, and gazed down at the creature now lying exposed before him. Somehow, as if to even it out a little, he pulled off his shirt, throwing it aside.  
  
He could not take his eyes off Koja's body. He had never seen a member of the opposite sex like this and until now he could only have imagined what lay beneath the slaves' skimpy outfits. Drawing a shuddering breath, the Sith lay forward so that the tips of her breasts just touched his pectoral muscles, and stared down at her. As he lost himself in her mercury-colored eyes, he moved down and gently kissed her.  
  
And then, as she responded to his tongue, he felt the slight tremor within her body . . . The way she hesitated. He broke their kiss and looked down at her.  
  
"You don't have to be afraid of me," he murmured, giving a small laugh.  
  
She ran a hand down his face; and he sat up again, returning her gaze.  
  
"No, it isn't you . . . Just, memories . . ." She shivered, running her hand up and down her arm.  
  
The Sith quickly leaned forward and down again, pulling the blanket over both of them. "Tell me," he whispered once they were both covered. "I, I . . . don't want to make the same mistakes." He stared down into her eyes again. He was serious about this.  
  
Koja shuddered inwardly when she remembered Ramen Suul's abuse, when he had tortured her for hours - days on end - using his body to do so.  
  
Slowly, swallowing a few times, she told the young Sith how his fellow had hurt her by forcing himself on her, how he had even depriving her of enough sleep and how he had then succeeded in siring a child on her . . .  
  
Taren stared at her, and consolingly ran a hand down her face again. "I'm so sorry,"  
  
Koja wondered how he would have reacted if she told him that the man that had hurt her so was Ramen Suul, the highest leader of yet another rival Sith faction.  
  
Once again the young Sith moved forward to kiss her. She complied easily, almost enjoying his taste on her tongue. Then as he broke away from her, he took her by the hands and moved their arms upwards, up above her head. He lay completely on her, and their bodies touched in almost complete symmetry.  
  
They looked into each other's eyes and lay like that for a few minutes, in perfect balance.  
  
The Sith marveled at her satin-smooth skin under his breast, and the way her body so perfectly molded to his.  
  
Then, slowly, Taren moved both his hands down her arms, lightly trailing his fingers downwards. Slowly, his fingers traced their way to her underarms and to her breasts. The Sith sat up again, straddling her pelvis. Gently, he ran his fingertips over the mounds, lazily circling. He moved his hands up to the darker points on her breasts, stroking them with his flat palms. He could feel them rising and falling, could feel her breath quickening. He looked up at her. Koja was gazing up at him, regarding him through slit eyes. He could sense that she did not hate this at all.  
  
He could now feel her nipples stiffening under his touch, and he marveled at how something as smooth as a baby gerr's fur could turn as brittle and rough as crushed pebbles in a matter of seconds. Nevertheless, he took it as a good sign and decided to move lower. Cupping her breasts in hands completely once more, he slowly moved his hands down along her sides . . . And stopped. Slowly, he ran his fingers back and forth on her side.  
  
She looked up at him, and smiled softly at his discovery.  
  
He met her gaze before leaning forward and examining the skin on her left side closely. Now he could see the tiny scales clearly, making a diamond of half-circles down her side. It was the same on the other side.  
  
He met her eyes again, running his fingers over the scales once more. "Do all women have these?" he whispered, voice made up of wonder and maybe even a trace of repulsion.  
  
She almost laughed, but instead replaced it with a small smile. ''No. I'm three-quarters human and one quarter Melodian, and they have scales. Human females don't have scales anywhere on their bodies."  
  
"Oh,'' he murmured, planting a kiss just above her navel. "Well, I like them."  
  
The girl smiled and nodded in response.  
  
Her stomach was hard, but much smoother than the youth's own bulging, muscled torso. After a brief examination of her abdomen, which wasn't very interesting, he decided to move even lower.  
  
The Sith moved off her and crouched next to her. She knew what he wanted to do and complied, spreading her legs for him to crouch between them.  
  
By now the blankets did not cover any of them anymore but it didn't matter because the shelter was warm, despite the blizzard that raged outside.  
  
Taren hesitantly picked her up by both sides of the waist and slid his knees in under her, so that he could look at her properly.  
  
The not quite cramps in his lower body increased to an almost unbearable level. He needed her, /wanted/ her now. As he leaned forward to kiss her once more, Taren sternly reminded himself that he would give himself just one more day . . . These caresses could satisfy him until the following night.  
  
After a long, sultry kiss, he stared down at her. Then, taking her by the arms, he flipped over so that she lay on him. Koja started gently running her hands over his chest, and kneaded him lazily, listening to his quickening heartbeat.  
  
He ran his hand through the soft, coppery mass that was her hair, basking in the calm that seemed to surround them now.  
  
He had been thinking about this for quite some time, and hoped that the girl could give him an answer to his question. "K - Koja . . . " he whispered. "If I . . . had you, would you . . . be able to make a child for me?"  
  
She froze, lifted her head to look at him. She remembered Suul and the beast she had almost borne for him. But this young Sith really wanted to know. "Yes . . . probably so, if we didn't do anything to prevent it. But why do you want a child?"  
  
Taren moved both his hands up and tightened his arms around her. "No! I don't want a child. They . . . the Masters gave me pills, white pills to give you so that you would not get one." He ran a hand through the soft tendrils of her hair again. "I'm sorry, I was just wishing, I guess. If one Sith that is not a Master sires a child on a slave . . . And the Masters find out . . . They make him run her through. After this he must take the slave's body out into the wild . . . to a place called Kravt Takkrin, which means Death Rift. He leaves her there and comes back to the academy."  
  
The way he so casually explained this to her shocked Koja.  
  
''The Masters have found that these men often become the best fighters this academy ever produces. But I don't want to have to kill you, Koja."  
  
He sat up and Koja slid down to the side. He pulled the covers over them both, and she put her head back on his chest once more.  
  
Taren spoke again. "If you did make a child for me . . . " he sighed, the sound hollow and long under her ear. "If it was a son . . . I would give him to the greatest Master for training and he would become the most skilled fighter ever."  
  
Koja realized that he was just thinking out loud, that he was only wishing.  
  
"And if you got a daughter . . . She would be beautiful, just like you - maybe even more so. And then, when she was old enough, you could both spend the nights with me . . ."  
  
She suddenly jerked her head up in repulsion. "What? You would sleep with your own daughter?"  
  
He looked at her, surprised at her sudden reaction. "Why is that wrong?"  
  
Koja stared at him, eyes wide with disbelief. The Sith didn't even realize that incest was not right. "She would have been your own blood, don't you understand? /It's wrong./"  
  
His brow furrowed, and she saw that she was not getting through to him. He would see even his own daughter as just another woman he could sleep with.  
  
"It's all right," Taren murmured, stroking her cheek. "We won't forget the pills, and you won't fall pregnant."  
  
Koja could sense, even with the ysalamiri crystal, that Taren still did not fully comprehend.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
So, did you like it? Hate it? Should I post more, or forget I ever wrote it? Please leave any comments and/or constructive criticism and tell me. Thanks, everyone! ( 


	3. Innocence Lost

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any names, places or objects you may recognize (Jedi, Sith, the Force, lightsabers, ysalamiri, etc.). I'm definitely not making any money out of this.  
  
Chapter 3 - Innocence Lost  
  
The next morning they had to dig their way out of the shelter; it had snowed heavily. The world around them was white and seemed even flatter than usual, because the snow had turned scraggly shrubs and stunted trees into small mounds of glistening white. There was no wind, and it was as if it had lain down to rest after bringing the icy flakes over the land the night before. The small blood-red sun hung just above the horizon, and the glowing sphere stained the ice there in the distance soft red. The rest of the sky was gray and toneless where the light did not hit it.  
  
The snow was knee-deep and Koja wondered how they would be able to move through the hindering, hard-packed mass.  
  
Naturally, the Sith had come prepared. Taren opened his satchel and took out four black, flexible metal slats along with what looked like two pairs of elastic, tear-shaped nets. He fumbled with the articles for a while. Koja watched with fascination as his deft, bluing fingers fixed together two pairs of snowshoes. He grinned up at her from where he crouched. " 'Always be prepared,' "  
  
Taren then showed her how to put the snowshoes on and strapped his on over his boots. He left the chain off that morning - it would have been awkward with the wide strides that had to be taken with the shoes, and it was not as if the slave could run away.  
  
After Taren had pulled on his mittens again, he walked over to the other shelter, which was a quarter buried in the snow. He kicked the stiff, ice-caked walls, "Hey, wake up! Do you want to stay here until this crap melts?" he yelled, his blows shaking the snow off the tent.  
  
A moment later there was a violent curse from inside, and then Jalekk's muffled voice, "Why you up so early? I take it you didn't have any fun last night?"  
  
At that, Taren's features hardened, and he glanced at Koja. "Just hurry up." he growled at the shelter again, white steam floating from between his lips. He moved off to dismantle their own shelter, heaving the packs out into the open first.  
  
Koja moved over to help him and they were busy folding the damp cover when the other couple emerged from their tent.  
  
The Jedi moved over to the other woman as Jalekk went to assist Taren. "How are you?" she said, looking at Kairal.  
  
Kairal fidgeted with a mitten, glancing down. Koja couldn't see her eyes through the tinted visor of her snow goggles. "I'm fine . . ." the girl finally uttered.  
  
"Really? Are you really all right?"  
  
"Yes . . ."  
  
Koja nodded, shrugged, and walked off. She knew what had happened between Kairal and Jalekk the night before; so much was obvious from his previous outburst.  
  
* * *  
  
The day passed without much excitement, but it was more exhausting than the previous ones; taking huge strides with the snowshoes took some getting used to.  
  
By that late afternoon they reached a large, basin-like depression in the soil. In fact, it was so large that one could not see the other side.  
  
The four adolescents scrambled down the slope and landed in the snow at the bottom. Taren stepped out of the holes his feet had made and moved back onto the surface of the frozen ground. "We're going the right way . . . If we go the same direction as the setting sun; we ought to get to some hills soon . . . and from there it's to the south,"  
  
Jalekk brushed the powder snow off his trousers. "You'd better be right, I have no intention of staying here longer than we have to."  
  
Taren gave a nod. "I have a good memory. I hope you remembered your half as well as I."  
  
The other Sith gave an irritated sigh and shoved past Taren, waddling like some water bird. "Let's just move."  
  
* * *  
  
That evening they camped in that same basin; and, although none showed it, all of the young people were slightly nervous out there on the flat white plain, with no cover.  
  
Kairal timidly suggested they dig themselves in; Taren agreed while Jalekk said that Sith were not to follow women's advice, but in the end the blond Sith saw the logic in it and they dug holes in the snow to set the shelters up in.  
  
A while later Koja and Taren were crouching in the tent, and he lighted the glow torch with numb fingers. After that he took off his gloves, boots and socks, and spread out his damp cloak next to Koja's. He rubbed his hands next to the torch, crouching close.  
  
The Jedi noticed how red his fingers and toes were. She decided to wait until the air was warmer before taking off most her clothes.  
  
After a while he still sat there, trying to warm up, and then Koja moved over to his pack and started boiling some water.  
  
She laid a tentative finger on his cold red ones. "You okay?"  
  
He looked at her before nodding slowly. "Yeah . . . just caught a minor case of frostbite."  
  
Koja removed her hand and started pulling off the outer layers of clothing. After that she again dug around in the Sith's satchel for the box of rations, and added some of the meat cubes to the warm water.  
  
Taren watched as she brought the blanket over and lightly wound it around his feet. "This should help," She started rubbing his feet vigorously to bring life back into them.  
  
As she did this, Taren watched the girl. He saw the way her brow furrowed in concentration, the way her eyes widened and her lips compressed as she massaged his feet, pressing the blanket onto the chilled skin. The cold had not affected her, he could feel it as her fingers once brushed his ankle - they were comfortably warm.  
  
"Don't you feel the cold?" he asked as she moved her grip to his hands.  
  
Koja rubbed them. "I feel cold wind; but water from the snow that leaked into your boots, for instance; or the damp that soaked into your gloves . . . I don't find that uncomfortable,"  
  
Her warm breath lightly caressed his itchy/burning fingers as she exhaled onto his hand. "Because of my Melodian ancestry I am not affected by cold water. The whole of Yavin 8 is covered by deep lakes of freezing water, so . . .'' Her deft fingers lightly ran over his, removing the chill. The aroma of cooking meat filled the shelter. He watched her beautiful face, half-light and half-dark in the glow of the torch . . . almost pale, though, because of the raven dress she was wearing.  
  
She let go and glanced into the pot. A greasy broth had formed, and delicious-smelling steam dampened her face.  
  
They ate all of the meat, wasting not a word between them. Both were ravenous.  
  
After they had finished the meal, Taren met her eyes. She knew what he was thinking, and he knew that, too.  
  
He reached out and took both her hands, rubbing them gently as she had done. She looked at him expectantly. Slowly, he moved her fingers up to his mouth and kissed their tips gently, just occasionally flicking his tongue over them. He could feel an excited tremor running through her. That ache was returning . . . Swiftly, he reached forward and down, fingers flying to the buttons of the dress. He started ripping them open when she suddenly stopped him. She moved his unwilling fingers up to her mouth, and kissed his knuckles. "Gently . . ." she whispered.  
  
Taren looked up at her with a suddenly frightened expression. He remembered very well what her previous Master had done. And suddenly, icy water drenched him from head to toe. He stiffened and stared at her. "The pills . . ." he breathed. And within a heartbeat, he was next to his bag, producing a small box. He took out a glossy white pill from it, carefully holding it in his palm.  
  
He moved towards her and she opened her mouth to accept it. He dropped it onto her tongue; and breathed, "Don't chew, just swallow."  
  
After she had swallowed it, she just moved away from him, face impassive. Koja then took out the groundsheet, laying the blanket over it after she had spread it out.  
  
Koja turned around to face him, kneeling on the makeshift bed. He moved over to her and studied her for a long moment, heart jumping to his throat. But that urge in his waist was still there.  
  
"Do the same you did yesterday . . . I'll help you," she murmured softly.  
  
Taren leaned forward and started with a kiss, taking her by the sides of the face. She brought her hand up to lightly caress his jaw, pushing her tongue against his. After a while Koja broke the contact and pulled away, lying down on her back. He straddled her legs and ran his hands up her body, ruffling her clothes - and to her neckline. He kissed her there as she gasped above him, hands resting on his back.  
  
Taren ran his hands over the fasteners of the dress and opened them one by one. Her breasts burst from the confines of the dark material; and through the thin fabric of her shirt he could feel her hardening nipples pressing against his exploring palms. He moved forward and down, bending for another kiss.  
  
Taren could feel their body temperatures rising, and the garments he was wearing seemed heavy and hot.  
  
Cool air flooded in, caressing his skin as Koja ran her hands up his back, lightly stroking his already damp skin.  
  
He could very distinctively feel her lower body pressing against his as her knees rose to both sides of his waist.  
  
The lust was mounting in the young Sith's body and the uncertainty evaporated like dew on a warm morning. Taren pulled off his shirt and trousers, fumbling with the cumbersome material. He wanted to feel Koja's bare flesh against his. He tugged impatiently at her clothing, but she responded quickly enough and not before long she too was clad only in undergarments. As his body almost covered hers completely, he pressed a long kiss onto her lips. He could smell the fragrance of her hair and skin - like the tiny flowers that turned the drab tundra into splendid iridescence in the fleeting summer. Blended with this sweet odor was the aroma of spice and wet forests of distant worlds. Her hands ran over his back, pressing into his muscles, and she trembled almost involuntarily under the pressure of his weight.  
  
Taren gasped as the pulling in his waist increased to almost painful intensity. His gland had risen away from his body, and now pressed against the girl's slender waist as the friction continued. Neither of them was breathing normally anymore - the desire and kisses had taken their toll on their fervent systems.  
  
The Sith forced himself to pull away from the intense contact and gasped, "Please . . .! I - I want -" He couldn't force any further words from his mouth as he sucked in the honeyed air. Without waiting for her reply, Taren tore off his last garment, knowing that her position was no different from his. Koja pulled off her scanty briefs and chucked them aside.  
  
The Jedi was amazed at the . . . lust she felt. She had never known such a strong feeling, not with her lover Ben, Suul, or anyone else. There was no fear. She was amazed at how much she wanted to feel this man. His eyes were ablaze, and his rapid breath warm on her face. He was all hard muscle now, but somehow that just aroused her craving body more.  
  
The young man fumbled at the juncture of her legs, clumsy now because of his haste, frantic fingers searching. Koja gave a moan when he touched her. She brought a hand down between them, guiding his where they wanted it. When his fingers caressed her, she could barely contain the emotions welling up. Fighting to keep her eyes open from pleasure, she whispered, "Don't . . . wait, I have to . . . feel you /now/!"  
  
The last word was a desperate gasp.  
  
That night could easily have been the most memorable in both their whole lives. They had just lain there for hours, exploring each other's bodies in the search for pleasure to satisfy the craving both felt. They dared each other to new heights, soaring higher and higher until the ultimate sensual extremity . . . * * *  
  
Koja had slept late, something she usually didn't do. She knew it was late, somehow, because both she and the Sith had been exhausted after their mutual experiences.  
  
Taren's arm rested over her bare stomach and it tightened around her as he too awoke. His hand went up to her chin, and she felt his lips on her cheek.  
  
"You have a wonderful body," his words broke the silence. "Thank you for last night."  
  
She moved a hand over his and closed her eyes again. "Thank you very much too. I didn't think anyone was capable of accomplishing what you did . . ."  
  
Taren ran hand ran softly over her hair, and she placed her palm on his arm. They just lay there for a few minutes, luxuriating in the intimate warmth they were feeling. For a few moments the Past and Future seemed to just ebb away, leaving only the current moment, the now. The Present.  
  
But then the young Sith slowly eased himself from the covers and retrieved his clothes, conscious of the fact that they had to keep moving, to get back to Irrchanor before their food supply ran out. Koja followed his lead and got dressed, no longer prudish.  
  
* * *  
  
That night, Koja awoke when she felt Taren moving next to her. She heard it before he placed a hand over her mouth - the scuffling, scratching sound just outside their shelter. She froze. 'Gerr!' Koja remembered the carcass they'd seen out on the frozen ground a few days earlier. And she really hoped that the creature would move on.  
  
And it did. A few seconds later it moved away, to the other tent. There was a startled cry from the other side, and Taren grabbed his trousers from the floor nearby, hissing an oath. The Jedi watched as he pulled on a shirt and opened the flap. Icy air flooded in, numbing exposed skin.  
  
Taren stepped outside, immediately regretting the fact that he hadn't put anything thicker on. But there was no time. The gerr crouched over Jalekk's tent, huge dark bulk looming over the tiny shelter. A single footprint was large enough for Taren to stand in with both feet.  
  
The young Darksider stood dead still as the creature turned its shaggy head to look at him. But then it turned back to the other tent. Hefting the familiar weight of his lightsaber, Taren focused on the Force. 'Jalekk! Jalekk? Can you hear me?' he called silently to the other Sith.  
  
After a few seconds, the reply came back. 'Yes, I hear you.' Jalekk's voice sounded strained but calm.  
  
Taren swallowed. 'Listen, the gerr's right in front of your entrance. I'll distract it and then you get out.'  
  
'I understand. Do it!'  
  
He had to force himself not to shiver as he prepped his muscles for the fastest sprint of his life. Taren gripped his weapon and started running, cutting past the gerr and slanting away from the shelters. Luckily the snow wasn't that deep. A soft roar behind him informed Taren that the gerr had seen him.  
  
"Come on, Jalekk! Now!" he yelled, turning sharply to lead the animal back to the shelters. His feet were on fire and he couldn't feel his hands anymore. His lungs burned with each intake of freezing breath. The icy wind drove hundreds of sharp needles into his face. Taren heard the gerr's hard crunching footfalls behind him as it loped after him.  
  
A dark figure stepped in front of him, ignited lightsaber washing the area around it in pink. Taren ducked aside and behind Jalekk, hot tears streaming down his face. Through the blur, he could see that the gerr had halted in surprise. It stood up on its hind legs, growling at Jalekk. One swipe of a deadly paw could shred a human to bloody ribbons.  
  
Taren noticed that his own lightsaber was still dangling from his unfeeling hand and he ignited it, trying to ignore the glacial cold.  
  
Jalekk waved his glowing crimson blade from side to side, staring up at the predator. The animal took a lightning-fast swipe at him, and he ducked, but the energy beam burned the creature's heavy arm. It roared in pain, dropping down onto four legs again. Jalekk then ran at it from the side, aiming a blow across its spine. However, the gerr saw the blade coming and jumped aside with its hind legs, showing amazing agility for a creature its tremendous size.  
  
Taren jumped forward and sliced his lightsaber down towards the creature's slavering face. By accident, the animal's right front leg caught him on the shins as it whirled around to face Jalekk again. He went sprawling in the hard snow, but scrambled up again. The creature wasn't concentrating on him in the moment. Swiftly, Taren raised his saber for a deadly thrust to the side, just beneath the spine. The hum of the weapon lowered for a nanosecond and the gerr roared, lifting its forepaws off the ground. This motion forced the glowing blade down more, rupturing air passages and other vital organs.  
  
Jalekk took that moment and sunk his lightsaber into the gerr's muscular neck with a mighty lunge.  
  
Without a sound, the gerr sagged down into the trampled snow, blood pooling from its almost severed head and the long, vertical cut in its side. A leg twitched, and the mighty beast lay still.  
  
The two young Sith stared at the dead creature, chests heaving. Finally, the cold seemed to make them aware again. Both reluctantly switched off their sabers and silence returned to the night.  
  
* * *  
  
The Sith and their slaves sat in Jalekk's shelter drinking hot buir tea. The girls had decided to shift all the blankets and the glow torch from Taren's tent, so that the men might recover from their ordeal with the gerr. Both suffered from minor frostbite and exhaustion. 


	4. Underground

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any STAR WARS objects/people/places. I remain poor and reviews still make me happy.  
  
Chapter 4 - Underground  
  
Over the next few days Taren led them straight and out of the basin, and then right when a cluster of hills became visible on the horizon. On the afternoon of the third day a clump of dark shapes seemed to materialize in the distance, getting larger as the four neared them. As the quartet came closer, the dark blur became clearer and the four columns became visible.  
  
An hour later the four young people reached the towering, upright stones. Ice coated the monoliths, and, on brushing it aside, the Sith found strange carvings on the base of the stones.  
  
The girls had crouched down inside the cluster, out of the biting wind.  
  
Taren looked at his fellow Sith. "All right, this is as far as I can take us."  
  
Jalekk looked at him. "Are you sure this is where your half of the map ends?"  
  
"Yes, I'm sure."  
  
"Good." Then Jalekk gave a wry grin. "Well, then it is time for us to start digging," They had been on better terms since the gerr attack.  
  
Trying to keep the puzzled look from showing on his face, Taren asked, "Digging?"  
  
Jalekk's voice hardened. "Who passed on to hell and made /you/ my echo? I remembered my half of the route. Now do as I say and help me clear the ground here. I don't want to have to spend more time here than necessary; do you?"  
  
"No . . . No I don't, Jalekk." Taren dropped his pack and followed into the circular space between the black monoliths. The girls moved aside as the other Sith snapped harshly at them.  
  
Suppressing a sigh, the brown-haired Sith started scooping snow aside with his gloved hands. The other boy crouched down a distance away and followed his lead, packing the icy white mass to one side.  
  
"I wonder what they're doing," Koja said to Kairal as they watched the two Darksiders working.  
  
The other shrugged. "I really don't know . . . Maybe we're staying here for the night or something."  
  
"Yes, at least it's sheltered from the wind."  
  
"Koja . . . Will we ever get away from here?" Kairal suddenly asked.  
  
She met the girl's eyes. "I honestly don't know. Maybe somebody will come and get us," she sobered. ''Maybe not."  
  
"I don't like it here, Koja. When I'm with Jalekk there's not really much time to think about home and the people I knew there, but when we're walking during the day . . . I think about all that very much."  
  
The Jedi sighed inwardly. She knew exactly what Kairal was talking about. Not knowing what else to say, she murmured, ''Tell me about your home."  
  
"I come from Hapes - it is a warm planet, with many tropical woods and oceans, not like this one - and I lived next to one of the seas with my mother, sister and brother. From the house one could see the blue-green Orona Ocean and the floating vessels on it . . ." Kairal paused, as if pulling the pictures from her memories. "The house has pale brown walls and is built on stilts, so that the incoming sea does not flood it.  
  
"My room was small but /so/ comfortable, and there was a big window that faced towards the ocean. Every evening I used to watch the sun setting. It was beautiful and big, not like here . . . And every morning I used to get dressed and went out to feed the meriggah, those are a kind of water mammal, and then I went to eat the morning meal. Mother always made the best tseapf . . ."  
  
As Kairal spoke of her home, her planet, her family, friends and pets; Koja remembered her own friends and Retsama. She missed them all very much.  
  
In addition to the homesickness, this place was already affecting her adversely - perhaps it was the cold and the predators, the gloom. The way the whole situation slowly wore away at the nerves. And when the ysalamiri crystal got removed from around her neck, she would constantly feel the feral shadows of the Dark Side as long as she stayed here. Koja was not sure what exactly would happen to her because of this, but she did not want to find out. Even though she had been at many other Sith strongholds, she had never gotten used to the dismal atmosphere, and never would.  
  
Koja hoped that she and Kairal would get back home, even though the chance of that was small.  
  
Taren's hands where going numb in their mittens and he tried using a Force-aided technique to shunt the pain away. They had cleared away almost a whole two square meters of the deep snow, and he hoped that Jalekk would be satisfied soon. He paused when the other Sith stopped digging and moved to the patch of frozen ground they had cleared. He started patting the flat soil, examining it closely.  
  
Taren wondered if the cold hadn't numbed Jalekk's brain. Just as he started pondering this notion, the other youth growled in his direction, "Hey, give me a hand here!"  
  
Blinking, Taren wiped the grin off his face and walked over to him. "What is it?"  
  
"Here. Help me lift this."  
  
'What?' Taren crouched down and squinted to where Jalekk's hands rested. His fingers were latched in what seemed to be impressions in the ground, and he was straining to lift it up.  
  
"It's a trapdoor, you son of a heavy-G planet inhabitant," Jalekk hissed. "Now help me heave!"  
  
Ignoring the insult, Taren studied the ground carefully and noticed the rectangular outline in the soil, and observed that the texture seemed to be much smoother than that of real earth. Quickly, he grabbed at one of the cavities and pulled hard.  
  
They strained, and ponderously the section of 'ground' started lifting with the grinding sound of stone on stone. Taren was sure that with some effort a single person could have lifted it. With the soft hiss of falling snow and dirt, a dark shaft became visible as the trapdoor opened wider. Eventually, the door stayed in an upright position, and there was now a deep rectangular hole in the ground.  
  
Jalekk confirmed what Taren had been expecting. "We go down there,"  
  
The two slaves stood silently, staring at the shaft.  
  
"Well, come on,'' the blond Sith motioned to them. "We can't stay out here all night." The sun was already dying in a fiery display of glowing backwash.  
  
Kairal followed him into the gaping hole, and Taren looked at Koja through visored eyes. "Let's go."  
  
"I can't."  
  
"Why not?" he asked, moving towards her.  
  
"I . . . I have this fear of enclosed spaces. Cramped places are one of the few things I am afraid of."  
  
"Come on, Koja. I'll help you, I promise. I'm sure the shaft isn't that deep."  
  
She took a shuddering breath. "All right. I'll come . . ."  
  
The narrow passage was damp and the rickety metal ladder leading down it was narrow and slippery. Taren pulled the trapdoor shut, trying to suppress the fear he felt himself. What if Jalekk hadn't remembered his instructions properly? What horrible dangers awaited them beneath the earth?  
  
Keeping his voice strong, he said softly to the girl a rung or two below him, "Hold on tight. Don't hurry. Concentrate on the ladder." He hung on himself, even though he could use the Force to break his fall.  
  
Hooking one arm around a rung, he pulled a small flare torch from his pack. He lighted it and secured it to his wrist, hoping that their journey down wouldn't be so long that the torch would burn his arm.  
  
Slowly, he moved lower.  
  
Half to calm his own fears, he asked Koja, "What trees are there on your world?"  
  
She took a moment to reply. "T - taranat, kooracg, and . . ."  
  
"Does the taranat tree have fruit?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Good,'' the Sith said, stepping a rung lower. ''Now imagine that you are climbing down a taranat tree using a ladder.'' He paused, hoping that he remembered his botany lessons well enough. "And the ladder is made from wood, like the tree. You are holding a taranat fruit between your teeth, and the sun is warm on you back.''  
  
As they climbed deeper into the ominous gloom, the young Sith went on with his tale of tall trees and ladders and open air and warm suns; and he hoped that most of it was an accurate description, since he was still considered too young to travel to other worlds. Worlds that had mild weather and high trees . . . After a while he asked her to describe what a taranat fruit tasted like, what texture and uses wood had.  
  
"We've reached the bottom!" Jalekk's voice drifted up from somewhere below. "There's a big cave down here."  
  
Five tense minutes later Koja and Taren too stepped from the last rung of the ladder onto the hard, almost even floor. He lifted up his flare torch to survey the large room the shaft had led them into. It was indeed a large vaulted chamber, and looked natural, unlike the tunnel that had brought them here. The roof was about four meters above them, and the damp rock walls glistened in the pale torch light. Pointed stalactites hung from the vaulted ceiling, like the iron spikes of some torture apparatus. On the far side of the cave, almost opposite the ladder, a black hole marked the beginning of a shadowy passage.  
  
Kairal was standing on the far side of the chamber, studying one of the arching walls.  
  
"Jalekk,'' she called softly. "Come here please."  
  
"What is it?'' he asked, coming towards her. Then, on reaching her, he turned around to Taren. "Hey, come here."  
  
The Sith, who had been studying the cave in awe, quickly crossed the floor to where the other was standing. Jalekk gestured to the dark gray wall, "Look."  
  
There was dark red writing on the wall - the barbed symbols that were the ancient Sith script. There were about forty characters, printed in five lines with painstaking precision.  
  
Koja, who had come up to stand next to Taren asked, "What does it say?"  
  
"Shh,'' Jalekk muttered. "Give us a moment."  
  
Taren pointed at the first symbol. "This is 'nor', which is 'you'. I am certain of it."  
  
"And this is 'krnit' - 'have'," the other Sith added. "I wish I'd paid more attention to my kriffin' Ancient Speech studies."  
  
"I don't know the next word, but the one after it is 'reached', so now we have 'You have reached' . . ."  
  
"This is 'the', and then we have 'jikrron', 'next' . . ."  
  
  
  
About a half an hour later the two Sith initiates finally deciphered the short message on the cavern's wall, substituting likely guesses for symbols they couldn't recognize. They weren't at all pleased with the result. Instead of useful information, encouragement or good news, the entire simplified message was:  
  
/You have successfully reached the next step of your Initiation Trial. If you reach Irrchanor Kag again you will be sworn to silence, for no information about these caves or the way to them may be given to any minor student. Severe punishment awaits the one who does not keep his oath. May the spirits of these caverns be kind to you.  
  
Written by Lihrem Dracon, first Head Master, in the spring of year one./  
  
"Great. Just /great./ We get one crummy message from more than a hundred years ago telling us not to spit out any secret to the little brats, and 'oh, just by the way, there are some monsters here, too' as a bonus! KRIFFING HELL!" Jalekk spat, glaring at the faded symbols angrily.  
  
"Yes." Taren said calmly. "The last part worries me too. What did he mean with 'spirits of these caverns'?"  
  
Jalekk sighed. "We'll find out soon enough. Let's get going, I want to get home." He gestured to Kairal, who had, together with Koja, moved carefully away after his previous outburst.  
  
Taren nodded and took his slave by the arm, letting the other Sith lead the way out of the cavern.  
  
The passage that followed was narrow but just high enough for them to stand in without stooping. They had all removed their parkas and the males had even taken off their gloves and scarves. It was warmer in the cave - the air was cold and still, but nevertheless warm compared to the numbing bite of the wind on the surface.  
  
The passage wound around a corner and then remained almost straight until they reached yet another cavern an hour later. At least, that was the time measurement according to Jalekk's chrono. Down under the ground time stood still. There was no sun to tell the time by, and an hour passed like a few minutes and days seemed like months.  
  
"We can stay here tonight," Jalekk spoke up, holding the flare torch high to examine the cavern. It was larger in a horizontal scale, but the ceiling wasn't as high as the one they'd started in. Mercifully, this cave also looked a lot drier.  
  
Everyone wearily agreed. It had been a long day.  
  
The two young men erected a square cage-like framework from the shelters in the hope that the heat from the glow torches would get trapped within its walls - by tying the canvass covers over it. The top and one side of the framework were open. The girls spread the groundsheets, blankets and cloaks to opposite sides of the structure, and the glow lamps were placed a distance away from the makeshift beds. The Sith got the water boiling and everyone seemed at ease.  
  
A few moments later the four sat crouching around the glow torches drinking tea and eating a stew of dried meat and vegetable-powder. It was very warm and much of the damp clothing had been laid on the ground between the lamps to dry.  
  
"Jalekk,'' the other Sith student said, "How long do you think it will be before we get out of here?"  
  
All eyes on him, the blond youth thought for a moment before replying, "It's hard to say. Maybe three, four days . . ." He shrugged uncertainly. "But there's no need to worry. There is a lot of water down here and we won't freeze to death, either. We also still have enough food."  
  
The others nodded, and then Koja and Taren started packing their eating utensils.  
  
* * *  
  
Koja Jime awoke as she felt something nuzzling at her neck. Slowly, the haze of sleep cleared her mind, and she realized it was Taren, gently kissing her throat. She was about to turn around when his warm hand slipped in under her shirt, moved upwards. The Jedi tried to stifle the moan that rose in her throat when his probing fingers found her nipple. She wanted to sleep; she was tired! But his ministrations had already cleared all chance of that.  
  
Koja lay still as his fingers circled her breast, and pretended to be asleep . . . Suddenly she knew why he had woken her up. Quiet moans and whispers broke the cozy silence in the pitch dark, and she realized that the other couple's lovemaking must have roused Taren.  
  
Her hand found his roving fingers and she gasped against his lips when he slipped something smooth and elliptical onto her tongue. Grabbing his shoulders, she swallowed the pill and allowed him to do as he well pleased. 


	5. Exchange and a Discovery

DISCLAIMER: I lay no claim to anything that you've seen or read (of) before.  
  
Chapter 5 - Exchange and a Discovery  
  
The next day - that is, when everyone awoke - they were all surprised to open their eyes at more-or-less the same time. Glow torches flared to life and garments were sluggishly pulled on in the withdrawing chill.  
  
The girls giggled at each other as they dressed; while their counterparts almost bashfully donned their clothing as fast as they dared, occasionally flicking sly glances across at the other's half- nude female. After a quick breakfast the shelters were packed, and the trek through the dank, winding tunnels of the underground continued.  
  
During that day they climbed into another hole in the rocky ground at the end of a dead-ending passage. The opening looked natural, as if water had flown through it some time ago. Taren estimated that it probably still did, in spring when the snow melted. They walked on deeper underground, and decided to spend the night in a stalactite and stalagmite-sown cavern.  
  
There was a shallow pool in the one corner, which the Sith carefully inspected and declared safe. The last part of the inscription on the wall was still fresh in their minds. The water in the small lake was clear; and nothing lurked anywhere in it.  
  
While the two Sith crouched near each other sipping buir tea, Kairal called Koja over. "Look what I found in my pack the yesterday,'' She smiled, holding something out in her palm.  
  
Koja took the vial and pulled out the stopper. The liquid inside - she could not tell its color - was strongly flower-scented. It had an oleaginous consistency.  
  
"I think it's skin oil - Have you also got some?"  
  
Koja moved over to her pack, the one Sitah had given her, and opened it. She knew it contained a few changes of underwear, one small towel and even a few of the contraceptive pills.  
  
"My oils were in that small pocket over there." Kairal said helpfully.  
  
Koja undid the catch and pulled out the three tiny bottles. "Wow," she said, "Sitah really remembered everything."  
  
Kairal looked down at Koja, a glint igniting in her eyes. "Let's bathe." She gestured to the water. "I'm sure it's not /that/ cold. And the men probably won't mind."  
  
The Jedi student grinned back. During the past few days she'd only rubbed a handful of snow into her face every morning - and a bath would be nice.  
  
The girl from Hapes carefully wrapped her oil in the towel and picked up the glow lamp. Koja gathered her meager supply of toiletries and followed the girl to the edge of the dark pool.  
  
~  
  
"So . . . Is yours good in bed?" Jalekk asked, leaning back against his bag.  
  
"She satisfies me," Taren neutrally replied before taking a sip of his tea. "Yours doesn't seem to be that bad either. You two woke us up last night."  
  
The other Sith gave a smile. "So we did. I remember thinking that the echoes suddenly didn't match us anymore."  
  
Taren gave a laugh and slapped Jalekk on the shoulder. "That's a good one!"  
  
Still smiling, the blond Sith leaned backward a bit more to look around a stalagmite to where the girls were. "Will you look at that,"  
  
"What?" Taren followed the other's gaze over to what the other lamp was illuminating. "Oh."  
  
The two slaves had stripped completely and were now wading into the water-filled depression in the cave floor.  
  
Staring at Kairal's naked form, Jalekk murmured, "That has to be mighty cold . . ."  
  
"Hmmm. Probably."  
  
Jalekk had shifted his gaze. "Yours is a bit skinny," He observed of Koja, almost wincing as she submerged her whole body under water. "But she carries the fat of a gerr."  
  
Taren ignored the comment, watching as the other's slave splashed herself all over. "She's not entirely human . . . Part of her comes from a cold watery moon."  
  
"Interesting." Jalekk took a sip of warm tea as the girl stepped from the water, squeezing her darkened hair out. Kairal quickly joined her and they disappeared from his view again as they went to dry themselves 'behind' the view-obscuring stalagmite.  
  
"Koja is also a Jedi," Taren said, allowing a hint of smugness to glide into his voice.  
  
"Really? I always wondered what that thing around her neck was for." There had never been Jedi slaves in the academy as far as he could remember. Intrigued, Jalekk leaned forward, features turning serious. "Could I have your Koja for just one night?"  
  
Taren looked taken aback, but quickly laid an impassive mask over his features. "I don't know . . ." But yes . . . he wanted to experience something different, something new. Indeed, he wanted to find out how women differed in bed - probably just as Jalekk did, too. He was sure Koja wouldn't mind; after all, she was his slave; and even if she did - she had no right to refuse. "All right. But if you hurt her . . . " he let the words hang between them as an unspoken threat.  
  
Jalekk gave a demonic smile. "Don't worry. Thank you, my friend." He got up and started unpacking the shelters to set up camp.  
  
~  
  
Koja had also found a small comb-like instrument at the bottom of her pack. It seemed to be made out of some synthetic material and was basically a thin rectangular sliver with triangles cut out to make about five teeth. Brushing Kairal's long wavy locks proved difficult and painful to the owner, so they soon gave up and Kairal just ran her fingers through her mane.  
  
The long rusty mass that was Koja's hair accepted the makeshift comb, and Kairal laughed as she worked and explained that her older sister had had long, straight hair just like Koja's - only dark blond - and that she'd always brushed it out for her twice a day.  
  
"I used to envy Mirina for that hair . . . It is hard to work with hair like mine. You cannot do anything with it, except maybe tie it up . . . but that is all."  
  
"Yes . . . " Long hair made her think of her friend Zenra, whose hair length was about triple hers . . . She wanted to go back to Retsama, back to the academy. Koja felt the other girl's fingers running through her hair, deftly pulling and twisting, and went into a sort of trance.  
  
After a while, Kairal moved to face her and smiled, obviously pleased with her handiwork. "This is a sort of style many women wear on my home world . . . It also doesn't require any pins or ties, which is good," she added.  
  
Koja thought it a pity that she wasn't able to see her reflection in the inky waters of the pool, but carefully ran her fingers over her hair. She found that Kairal had made two small braids running around head, one on each side, and meeting low at the back of her head. There the two braids crossed and then somehow encased the rest of her hair, gathering it in a ponytail. She wondered how Kairal had managed to fasten it all together that it didn't fall open. The Jedi smiled and nodded to the girl. ''Thank you very much, Kairal.'' She rose from her seated position on a rocky hump extruding from the cave floor. "Come, let's see if there's something to eat."  
  
The meal had consisted of boiled meat and the usual tea. The two males, however, had been giving each other meaningful glances throughout the meal and the girls had noticed it.  
  
After the last piece of cutlery had been stowed away, Koja moved to their bed and started arranging the blankets.  
  
Taren came over and took her by the arm. "Koja - you are staying with Jalekk tonight,"  
  
"Jalekk?" she asked. She felt a sense of betrayal and fear. She had thought Taren really liked her, but then vaguely recalled that he was a Sith - her master -, and that she was a captive - his slave - and that a relationship of this nature very rarely exceeded a physical one.  
  
His voice was soft, and maybe even understanding. "Yes. Go on . . . forget about me for tonight."  
  
Struggling to keep emotion from her features, she stepped past Kairal and knelt at the blond Sith's sleeping place. He watched her as all four of them followed the customary ritual - they stripped off enough garments to theoretically be comfortable in sleep, although they could have just taken off everything at once anyway.  
  
Jalekk slipped under his covers, and waited for Koja to join him. Then he switched off their glow torch.  
  
Taren followed his lead and soon the cave was swallowed up in total darkness.  
  
Even though this was not the first time she'd experienced it, Koja still found this absolute impregnable blackness disconcerting. As was her habit, she laid her head on the Sith's chest and listened to his heartbeat, taking in the familiar warmth and sound along with his unfamiliar scent.  
  
Jalekk didn't say anything, but gently stroked her cheek. After a while he seemed to get restless and eased her up by the elbows, sitting up himself. She looked in his direction, but could not see a thing. She almost started when his hand unexpectedly found the back of her head, and he pulled her to him for a kiss. Her heart sank when his quick fingers pulled her hair loose, destroying Kairal's hard work. His hands found the hem of her shirt and traveled up on her skin, finding her chest. Koja was slowly running out of breath - his kiss was long and demanding. Finally he broke away from her and pulled her back into the warmth of the blankets.  
  
She felt him remove his hand from under her shirt, and then cold air rushing in as the blankets slipped down while the shirt slipped over her head. Jalekk crouched over her, kneeling with both his knees next to her pelvis, as she could guess. His warm hands grasped both sides of her ribcage, and his thumbs brushed her breasts as he caressed her chest with his mouth. The scented oils seemed to have taken their . . . undesired effect.  
  
Suddenly, he stopped titillating her skin, and he froze. Through the haze, Koja realized that he must have made the same discovery Taren had made quite some time ago.  
  
His forehead rested on hers, and she could feel the uncomfortable sensation as he brushed her scales in the opposite direction to which they grew. She felt his breath on her lips and she knew he was staring into her eyes. "So this is your alien side . . ."  
  
Koja slid her hands under his shirt, running her hands over his taut back. "Non-human . . ." She gasped as his hardness pressed against her waist.  
  
He slid his hands to her back, clasping her shoulders from behind. His lips went to her throat, and he kissed her just beneath the neckpiece. "And this is your other 'non-human' side."  
  
She stiffened in anger, suddenly envying Kairal - for not being Jedi and for being with Taren right now. Jalekk's hands abruptly released her shoulders and came around to her neck, fingering the ysalamiri crystal.  
  
"I want to know what you're thinking, Jedi,'' he suddenly growled, and his full weight bore down on her. "How does it feel?"  
  
She fought for breath. "Please don't." Koja breathed, and despite herself memories of Suul's abuse came flooding back.  
  
She knew what it was like to be connected to a Dark Side-sensitive individual. She had felt the greed, hate, and hunger for power - the /malice/ - that Sith felt; and at such intimate quarters . . . Jalekk's fingers were still working to release the collar. "Stop - Your Masters . . ."  
  
"Quiet.'' he panted, and she could almost feel his lust rising within him as he rhythmically pushed against her. His considerable weight, though almost none of it fat, was too much for her delicate frame to bear. Koja pressed her hands up to his chest. She was really getting out of breath now, but the Sith ignored her, intent on tearing the ysalamiri crystal off her neck. Gasping for air, she said, ''No!'' as loudly as her tortured lungs would let her.  
  
"Shut up, /Jedi!/" Jalekk growled louder than he intended, and pressed a kiss onto her lips.  
  
There was the rustling sound of blankets being thrown back, a short shuffle in the dark, and then Jalekk was suddenly heaved off her.  
  
"/What/ are you doing to her?!" a familiar voice growled in the dark. Koja heard a clatter as Taren chucked the other Sith in the direction of a glow lamp, which he failed to see in the dark.  
  
"I wasn't hurting her; I just wanted to feel what a Jedi thinks like!" Jalekk bit out as he was probably getting up.  
  
The lengthy Sith expletive increased in volume as Taren bent down near Koja. His groping hands found her arms. "Jalekk, take your common whore back and never attempt to take this Jedi from me again!'' As he said this, he slid his arms in under Koja and lifted her to his chest. The reply from the other youth was a short noun and Kairal gave a choked- off exclamation as he seemingly yanked her up.  
  
With three swift strides they had moved over to Taren's side, and he gently set her down on the covers. He helped her under the warm blankets and slid in next to her.  
  
After Koja had settled down he whispered, "I'm sorry I gave you to him." He gently stroked her tousled hair. "He'll leave you alone from now on. I hope you can forgive me."  
  
Taren didn't get an answer, but that was not the sole reason for his uneasy rest that night. He had broken the fragile peace and trust he'd won from the other Sith, and vice-versa. Before Jalekk came to his senses he might not pass up a chance to kill him . . .  
  
* * *  
  
When Taren awoke a few hours later, he wanted to inflict an injury on himself for falling asleep in the first place. However, it was apparent when Jalekk awoke that a good night's sleep and his slave's doings had alleviated any murderous feelings.  
  
The atmosphere at the camp was tense though, and no one spoke. The girls eyed each other timorously and the Sith gave each other sneers but ignored one another for the most part. The morning meal was taken and while the girls completed their toilet at the pool the males dismantled and packed up the camp.  
  
"I'm sorry for what Jalekk did to you." Kairal murmured as she attempted to untangle her hair with her fingers.  
  
"It's not your fault,'' Koja replied. "And I'm not sure he knew what he was doing, either.'' She splashed the icy water into her face.  
  
"What /did/ Jalekk do, Koja?" the Hapan girl asked.  
  
The Jedi gave an amused chuckle. "He wanted to hear all my thoughts and emotions and tried to pull off this thing" - she fingered the crystal- bearing necklace - "and nearly crushed me in the process."  
  
"I'm so sorry."  
  
"Sith can get very emotional at times." Koja understated, shrugging. She dried her face and rubbed a few drops of oil into her cheeks and forehead.  
  
"Let me help you with your hair." This time, Kairal merely twisted it into a long plait and secured the ends with a piece of string salvaged from her bag.  
  
"Well . . ." the Jedi muttered. "Taren wasn't perfectly civil, either. I'm sure I could've handled it if he hadn't interrupted." She wasn't exactly certain of the last part of her statement, but was merely glad that things had turned out the way they had.  
  
As the packed their toiletries and moved back to the Sith, Kairal remarked, "It's all right. I have become . . . /used/ to Jalekk anyway - if you know what I mean."  
  
Koja nodded. "I know what you mean." They lapsed into silence as they reached the two brooding initiates.  
  
They were just folding the last canvas covers into their cases, and the girls looked on while the youths secured the last clasps. Without his usual irritable words of urging, Jalekk led the way down the left passage leading from the cavern.  
  
The tunnel was rounded and smooth, not unlike many they had traveled for the past few days. Koja had lost track of how long they'd been underground and did not care to count. The two harsh bright lights from the flare torches merged and became one. The light bobbed along, illuminating the long way before them. The Jedi wondered how many days would pass until they got back out into the open air; and, after that, how long until they reached the Sith academy again. She could not wait for proper food, a bed and a hot shower again - even if it meant sharing it all with a Sith.  
  
Almost unconsciously her eyes moved up and sideways to Taren's pensive features. He was a nice Sith. At any rate, kinder than any of the others she'd met. Even though he had mercilessly slaughtered an animal - showing great reflexive skill and a certain cold-bloodedness - and, after he had discovered . . . intercourse . . . had enjoyed her almost every night since, Taren had still somehow maintained an air of almost childish innocence. Maybe that was why she liked him. All the other men she had ever known were by no means naïve, and usually had something to hide . . .  
  
In the right tunnel wall a jagged crack appeared, and instead of ignoring it and leading them on, Jalekk eased into the narrow gap sideways. Taren sighed, gesturing for Koja to go before him after Kairal.  
  
The crack seemed much higher than the tunnel before it - the light did not reach its roof. Moving through the crack was arduous and slow since one had to shuffle sideways to get through. This required holding the packs to the side with one arm and carefully lifting it along, and pulling the thick packs loose from in between the walls if they got stuck. The journey through the thin crevice was made even more bothersome by the uneven, shifting slivers of stone littering the floor.  
  
Naturally Taren started needling Jalekk, asking him if this was truly the right way. Jalekk returned that it indeed was, adding that there was a small cave with one tunnel-exit on the other side. Koja desperately hoped that they wouldn't have to spend the night in here.  
  
Fifteen minutes - it seemed like hours - later they reached the open space of a cave, just as the blond Sith had said. He urged that they move on, since it was only late morning. After a rest and small meal, the four headed off down a passage again, leaving the cave behind.  
  
This passage was winding and strange openings riddled in the floor and walls. These circular holes dotted this passage at irregular intervals, and Jalekk wondered if they served as burrows to some subterranean animal. He and Taren examined the holes and found them to be of indiscernible depth. However, no strange creatures sprang from them as the Sith poked in the cavities with their lightsaber-grips.  
  
Shrugging, the two initiates and their slaves moved further down the passage; and the straight, unchanging monotony of the pockmarked brown- gray walls lulled them into a sort of unfocused trance. Each was lost in their own thoughts when Jalekk, who was in the lead, suddenly slowed down. ''There's something in the passage up ahead,'' he announced, voice echoing slightly.  
  
Taren moved past the girls to see what it was. Kairal and Koja peered between the Sith, trying to see.  
  
There was /something/ there, but it was hard to see from the distance.  
  
Jalekk started walking again at a faster pace. "Let's see what it is."  
  
"Well . . ." Taren said, staring down at that what had been lying in their path.  
  
The other initiate grimly stared down at their find, frowning slightly.  
  
Kairal's face showed a look of repulsion, and she had blanched.  
  
"It looks rather old," Koja offered, looking down at the almost intact human skeleton. Unrecognizable tatters of clothing clung to its limbs. "I think it takes quite a while for a body to decompose like this."  
  
"'Specially in these conditions," Taren intoned.  
  
"I wonder what happened to his slave . . ." Kairal said shakily.  
  
Jalekk shifted onto his other foot. "Or to her master."  
  
There was silence for a few moments as everyone studied the remains. As a quick examination showed, the person hadn't died because something had attacked him - the bones showed no fracturing - but the person had pulled his legs up to his chest and the hands where near his chest. The yellow jaw hung slightly open.  
  
"Are you positive we're going the right way?" Taren asked for the hundredth time since they'd entered the caverns.  
  
"Yes." Jalekk replied.  
  
Taren suppressed a sigh. "All right. Then if this person did not die of hunger . . ."  
  
Everyone remembered the words on the wall. /May the spirits of these caverns be kind to you./  
  
"Well. We'll just have to be on our guard then.'' Jalekk touched the silver handle of his weapon and turned his back on the long-dead victim.  
  
Slowly, the rest of the party followed his lead and left their grisly find behind.  
  
* * *  
  
Evening had fallen, according to Jalekk's wrist chronometer. They had turned down a left path as the skeleton's passage had suddenly divided into two. After that, the quartet had been traveling down a curving passage for the past three hours. They had not reached another cavern; and Jalekk gloomily informed them according to his mental map, it was still quite a distance until they would reach the next one.  
  
"Well, we'll have to stay here for tonight." Taren murmured as he looked up and down the tunnel they'd been in for most of the day.  
  
"Hmm." Jalekk agreed gloomily. At least there were none of those holes here. The glow torches were placed a distance from each other and the bedding arranged between them.  
  
As the familiar aroma of boiling meat and vegetable concentrate filled the air, everyone seemed to relax.  
  
The atmosphere had been tense - even more strained than when the two initiates had been wrathful toward each other just that morning - but the caves had retained their sepulchral, echoing silence.  
  
While they consumed the meal, the two Darksider initiates worked out a watch system. Every three hours they would switch and the moment anything suspicious was heard or seen everyone was to be woken up. The Sith to stand first watch was selected through a chance game of who pulled the shortest hair from Koja's closed hands; and to his great dismay, Taren selected the shortest red strand.  
  
Koja tossed under her covers. She couldn't sleep as images of the skeleton they had discovered kept floating up in front of her eyes. She sat up, shivering against the cold air. In the dim glow of the lamps, she saw Taren's silhouette framed black against the light. He was seated further up the tunnel beyond the second glow torch, beyond Jalekk and Kairal's sleeping place. It had been decided he stand watch there because they had come from the other direction and that they would already have confronted any threat from that way.  
  
Wrapping her crimson cloak around her like a blanket, Koja stepped past the others' bedding area and crouched down next to Taren. She leaned against his shoulder and stared off into the gloom ahead.  
  
"Can't sleep?" he asked softly.  
  
"No." Koja replied. She left 'I'm scared' out.  
  
The Sith, even with the ysalamiri crystal blocking out any emotions from her mind, knew how she felt.  
  
"Don't worry." he murmured, "We're going to be out of here soon." He smiled encouragingly. "Besides, have you seen anything a lightsaber can't beat yet?"  
  
"Can it defeat spirits, ghosts?"  
  
Taren looked at her gravely. "No. But the word used in the inscription was xikorrze, and is a very loose term, difficult to explain in Basic. It is very possible that the creatures meant are, oh, maybe a huge transparent animal, or even underground whirlwinds . . ."  
  
"But the person we saw back there didn't die from any of those."  
  
"I know. But maybe he did indeed starve to death, or maybe a Sith even killed his slave, it is hard to say."  
  
"A Sith would kill his slave on Initiation?"  
  
Taren's face suddenly became hard. "Koja - I /don't know./ I don't know how that person died - or why - and I hope not to find out. We will leave these caves soon, so don't worry."  
  
Koja nodded resolutely and moved back to the makeshift bed, hoping to catch some sleep. 


	6. Attack

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any SW elements in this story. I only borrow and twist them to suit my evil plans.  
  
Chapter 6 - Attack  
  
The night had passed without any disturbance; and Jalekk almost cheerfully announced that they'd get out of the caverns by nightfall. This news cheered everyone up a great deal, and the four packed up quickly that morning.  
  
An hour or so later the four adolescents reached a large cavern. Water flowed slowly down the ceiling and tiny rivulets had formed on the cavern's floor. Tiny, translucent moss-like plants grew in cracks in the floor, thriving on the moisture. Jalekk directed them to the far side of the cavern where there was a hole in the damp wall. On closer inspection, they found that handholds had been hewn into the rock; another indication, Jalekk triumphantly explained, that they were going the right way.  
  
Jalekk volunteered to climb ahead with one pack at the time - the sloping hole was narrow - and heaved the satchels up, accepting them from Taren at the bottom after anchoring himself securely in the tunnel. After all the packs had been deposited safely on the other side of the hole, Jalekk climbed up after them and disappeared.  
  
Kairal scrambled into the hole, followed by Koja and lastly Taren. The hole curved gently upward and they resurfaced in one of the by now familiar passages. Again, this tunnel had dozens of round crevices pock- marking the sides and roof.  
  
Jalekk held his flare torch high, looking up and down the passage.  
  
"So, which way?" Taren asked as he slung his bag onto his back.  
  
The other Sith looked uncertain but not alarmed. "I'm really not sure if we go up or down from here," he said. "But I do know that to one side this passage branches into three; and we're to take the rightmost tunnel."  
  
The brown-haired initiate looked a bit unnerved. "All right. So we just walk in whatever direction until we find the fork, or what?"  
  
Recognizing the strain on the other's voice, Jalekk said, "It's all right. All of you can stay here while I scout up the tunnel." As Taren opened his mouth to interrupt, he added, "I'll go alone - I can move faster and I'll be back before you know it."  
  
Laying his cloak on the ground and strapping a water bottle to his belt, Jalekk held his torch high and moved off at a fast jog before anyone could interject. Soon the bobbing light of his flare torch was swallowed up in blackness.  
  
Taren unpacked some dried meat and offered it to the two girls. Koja was watching him intently and he said, "It's all right. I didn't sense any treachery from him."  
  
The Jedi Padawan shot Kairal an apologizing glance. It was clear Taren still didn't trust the other Sith too much; Jalekk could have just left the underground completely and abandoned them in the bowels of the earth to starve.  
  
Taren chewed on a stringy bite of meat, watching the two slaves. The one, apprehensive and troubled, while the other was watchful and calm. He idly wondered if the Jedi's Force training had anything to do with her bearing.  
  
Oblivious to his gaze, the girls started combing each other's hair; and Taren watched as Jalekk's slave Kairal started weaving Koja's coppery hair in an intricate design.  
  
* * *  
  
Kairal stirred from where she leaned next to Koja. She had plaited and brushed Koja's hair into about twenty different styles and the two girls had eventually just relaxed with their backs to the rocky tunnel wall, starting a dodged conversation. But eventually even that had trickled to a standstill.  
  
"Please Taren, Kairal's voice had taken on a pleading tone. "How long has it been?"  
  
"I don't know," the initiate replied. "I have no time piece." Taren had considered a chrono unnecessary on the trip, and had thus not taken one along.  
  
"At least two hours,'' Koja murmured, hazarding a guess.  
  
The Sith shrugged. "Maybe . . . "  
  
The Hapan girl squirmed again. "Please - can we go look for him?"  
  
Taren frowned. "He's probably just around the next bend. What would he think of me if we suddenly came toward him?" Then he made up his mind, and with a sigh, said: "All right. We can . . . count the seconds until thirty minutes are passed. Then we'll go."  
  
Kairal agreed to this, but still seemed worried. Koja wasn't feeling completely at ease either, but agreed to Taren's reasoning.  
  
And so they started counting, minute after minute after minute. Then, their minds almost reeling from the monotony of the repetitive numbers they had recited, the three realized that a half-hour had now definitely passed and that Jalekk still hadn't returned.  
  
Taren stretched his arms and legs. "Okay . . . Let's go."' After a quick discussion, it was decided to take the packs along, since the other Sith might be hurt somewhere; or that he had indeed found the junction.  
  
Kairal volunteered to take the other Sith's pack, and Koja carried both her and the other girl's satchels. And so they trudged off, well rested and slightly anxious as to what might await them further down the tunnel. They walked along at a brisk pace, always keeping a lookout for the light of another torch up ahead.  
  
After about an hour, a dim glow reached them from somewhere ahead. "There he is," Taren informed the girls behind him. "I told you."  
  
But as the trio neared the light, they noticed that something was wrong. The other light wasn't moving toward them.  
  
"Jalekk! Taren called. "Jalekk!" His voice bounced off the walls of the tunnel, and echoes replied for the other Sith: /Alekk - lekk - lekk . . . lekk . . .!/  
  
"Maybe he's hurt," the brown-haired Sith offered when the echo had subsided. "He probably slipped and banged his head." But the girls behind him didn't reply.  
  
Finally, Jalekk came into view. He was lying on the ground; and the flare torch lay on its side near him. Taren called the youth's name again, but stopped when he came close enough to see him clearly.  
  
Behind him, the girls gave a frightened gasp and Kairal whispered a phrase in Hapan. Jalekk lay on his side, sightless eyes staring ahead. His hands were clutched around his own throat and his legs were pulled up halfway to his chest, feet twisted at strange angles. His face was contorted into a mask of pure terror.  
  
"No . . ." Kairal whispered and buried her head in Koja's shoulder. "Please no!"  
  
Taren straightened up from his crouch after feeling the other boy's pulse. "He's dead." he sated quietly, confirming what they already knew. Taren turned away from the twisted corpse that had once been their companion. Koja looked into his eyes and saw the fear, the grief, there. He might have paled but it was hard to tell in the harsh glare of the torches.  
  
"Please - Let's leave." Taren whispered. He turned and walked past the body and onward down the passage.  
  
"Come on, Kairal." Koja murmured to the sobbing girl. She was surprised at how shaky her own voice was. "We have to go." Carefully, the Jedi maneuvered Jalekk's former slave around the corpse and followed Taren.  
  
As she walked, supporting Kairal, Koja hoped over and over that the triple junction would be at the end of the passage. She did not think any of them would be able to pass /it/ again. Although she would not have admitted it to anyone else, she was afraid. Afraid of whatever had killed Jalekk.  
  
* * *  
  
After what seemed like hours of endless walking, Taren suddenly halted. Koja realized that he had stopped because the passage they were in had suddenly split into three.  
  
"J - Jalekk said the leftmost one." she whispered almost fearfully. The Sith seemed not to have heard and Koja rubbed Kairal's back comfortingly. The girl had not stopped crying since their discovery, and nothing seemed to be able console her.  
  
Taren seemed to consider his options for a while, but then made off down the left tunnel, not waiting for the girls to catch up.  
  
"Come, Kairal, we're almost out of these caves," the Jedi murmured and led the girl after him.  
  
Koja immediately noticed that this passage sloped upwards slightly, which could only mean that they were indeed heading back toward the surface. Taren's mood, however, dampened her spirit. He had not made any move to help Kairal, and now didn't appear to even acknowledge their presence. Determinedly biting her lip, she urged Kairal to a faster pace but nevertheless hoped that they would reach a cavern soon.  
  
An hour later, Koja Jime got her wish. The natural room the passage had led them to was large and two shallow pools lay along one wall. But as was the case with the previous cavern, no minuscule plant life was present here.  
  
However, she did not have much chance to ponder on that before Taren's command shifted her attention to him. "Help me with this,'' He had started unpacking the shelters to form the covered framework of most previous nights. "And you," Taren's eyes suddenly became hard. "Shut up."  
  
The Jedi realized that he was talking to Kairal. "Taren, please . . . She grieves for - "  
  
"I know!" he cut her off. "Come on, tie this onto this pole." Taren shoved a strap attached to a canvas sheet into her hands and gestured to a horizontal rod. Resolutely, the Jedi did as she was told, then helped the grim youth assemble the rest of the frame. After the last canvas had been secured to the framework, Koja moved over to where the other girl was sitting on a raised section of the rocky floor.  
  
"Kairal," she whispered, rubbing the girl's back. "Come help me with the blankets." But the girl did not respond and kept her head buried in her arms, whispering - chanting - something to herself. The Jedi listened intently but could not make out the strange words.  
  
"/Shaetah n Jalekk, channu omah lainom Jalekk! Shaetah n Jalekk, channu omah lainom Jalekk!/" The language that Kairal was using was obviously her native tongue, and it seemed the initiate's death had robbed her of Basic.  
  
"It's all right, Kairal . . . Jalekk is in a much better place now." Koja murmured. "Please, you mustn't give up like this. Your chants aren't going to bring him back." She said the last part gently, soothingly. "Try not to think about it." she added.  
  
Meanwhile, Taren had stalked over to them. His face was drawn and his eyes cold. "I should kill her." his voice was empty and dead and not the one that Koja knew. She raised her eyes to look up at him. "The incident has turned her into a babbling lunatic." His fingers had already closed around the hilt of his lightsaber.  
  
For the first time since Jalekk's death, Vornei si Kairal registered what was going on around her.  
  
Slowly, she sat up and looked Taren straight in the eyes, tears streaming from her swollen ones. There was indifference in that gaze - and it became clear that the Hapan girl did not care what happened to her from now on.  
  
"Taren, no." Koja said quietly, rising. "She does not deserve to die; she has done nothing worthy of such punishment."  
  
The Sith moved his stare to her, one hand holding his weapon tightly in apparent readiness. "Nor did Jalekk!"  
  
The Jedi took a deep breath. "I know, Taren. And killing Kairal is not going to solve anything." She stepped forward. "You are not thinking clearly. You are also grieving for Jalekk, and you're frightened. Admit that, Taren." She had put a great measure of sincerity into those words, and she knew that the Sith might strike her down for them.  
  
For a moment he just stared at her, then his eyes softened slightly. "Yes. You are right." he admitted softly, but there was no strain or tremor in his voice to support what he had just said.  
  
Koja left the others alone to set the rest of the camp up. She unpacked the groundsheets and blankets from the two Siths' packs, spreading them over the rocky cavern floor. She also started boiling some water. She noticed that the water flasks were empty, and decided to fill them up at one of the pools.  
  
She moved over to the one near the exit-hole and saw that Taren was already there. He was gazing pensively into its dark depths. When she knelt down to fill the bottle his voice stopped her.  
  
"Wait."  
  
Koja stared up at the Sith, and he crouched down next to her. "Look," he pointed out onto the surface of the still little lake, and moved his torch over it. "There are holes in the bottom."  
  
The Jedi saw that the holes on the floor of the lake seemed deep, and she could not judge their depths.  
  
The circular openings did resemble the ones they had often seen in the tunnels earlier on.  
  
Taren braced himself with his fingertips on the edge of the pool and leaned forward, as if to drink. But then the Sith initiate paused, nose and mouth bare centimeters from the surface of the inky waters. She leaned forward too, and watched him questioningly.  
  
He straightened up. "This water smells strange, too." As Koja leaned forward as well, he added, "I don't think we should drink it."  
  
Indeed, a strange, albeit almost indiscernible odor wafted from the black liquid. Koja couldn't identify the tangy, cloying smell. She sat up to look at the Sith. "Do you know why this is?"  
  
But Taren merely shook his head. "No, I don't. I also don't recognize this smell." he paused. ''If the other pool is fine we should rather use it to get water from."  
  
After a short, grim supper, the three bedded down to sleep. All of them were fearful, although they didn't show it. Koja spent most of the night whispering encouragement into Kairal's ears; and Taren lay awake next to her, staring off into space.  
  
* * *  
  
They rose earlier than usual, and the light of the glow lamp found them bleary-eyed and still tired. They ate a breakfast, and Koja wondered how they would go about getting out of these nightmarish caverns. With Jalekk gone, they could only guess with path led to the surface.  
  
"Taren," she said, "Which way are we going to take?" She took a sip of tea, watching the Sith.  
  
He frowned, staring into the light of the glow torch. "We will just take the passage that slants up the most . . . And I have sense- enhancing techniques so that I can smell and, or feel fresh air coming in."  
  
The Jedi stifled a sigh. "All right. Sounds good." Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to come up with anything better herself. She finished her meal and went to the good pool to fill their water bottles. As she passed the other pool, she heard a strange frothing noise. Koja turned to see what was going on in the pool. A few bubbles were converging on the surface, and that acrid scent was getting stronger.  
  
"Uh . . . Taren!" she turned away from the pool and ran back to their camp. "Taren! That pool . . . it's bubbling!"  
  
He stared at her for a moment, but then a revelation seemed to hit his face. He was on his feet quickly. "Kairal, let's go!" He grabbed the startled girl by the arm and pulled her up. "Koja, run! We have to get out of here!" Grabbing a flare torch, the Sith pulled the girl from Hapes with him and made for the closest exit tunnel.  
  
Koja was puzzled but noticed that the sweet stench was indeed getting stronger. Biting back protest, she followed the others from the cave.  
  
Behind them, the pool was seething and hissing, and the water churned with large, popping and reforming bubbles.  
  
Kairal had finally found her legs and was forcing them to move as quickly as they could. The Sith raced along next to her down the long tunnel. The Jedi came behind, and they ran as if a rabid gerr was chasing them. However, both the girls were still struggling to link Taren's haste with the bubbling pool.  
  
"Come on, come on!" Taren yelled to both of them. "Don't stop!" he was breathing heavily, and the torch in his hand bobbed up and down furiously with his clenched fist. Panting, Koja gritted her teeth and fell in step with Kairal, wishing for a more scanty outfits than the heavy clothing she was wearing now.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like hours of running, the Sith slowed down and stopped just around a bend in the tunnel. He was breathing hard and could barely speak. "All . . . right. Let's . . . hope . . . this is . . . far enough!"  
  
The girls slumped down next to him, exhausted. Koja felt her throat burning with each intake of breath she took, and coughed because of the phlegm her rapid breathing had loosened. "Are you all right, Kairal?" she asked the other girl, who looked sick. She got a nod for an answer. She took a deep breath before asking the initiate, "Why did we run?"  
  
The Sith let his eyes trail over the bumpy rock wall opposite them. "I think I know what killed Jalekk."  
  
Both the girls wordlessly turned their heads to look at him. On the one's face was disbelief and curiosity; while the other girl's drawn features were etched with uncaring apathy, though her eyes seemed brighter.  
  
"When we found him, Jalekk had not drawn his lightsaber," Taren paused. "No one would point a weapon at something they can't see. Also, his posture did not suggest that anything physical had attacked him . . . more that his body had suddenly acted against him," They unwillingly recalled the deceased boy's twisted corpse.  
  
The young Sith went on. "There was also a similarity between his posture and that of the skeleton's."  
  
Koja nodded. She had noticed that, too.  
  
"I drew the conclusion that Jalekk and the owner of the skeleton had been killed by the same . . . thing."  
  
He paused, and closed his eyes for a moment. He took a deep breath, sampling the air - probably with the technique he'd mentioned earlier - and, seemingly finding nothing, continued. "Yesterday, when I noticed the strange stench coming from the rock pool back in the cave - and that there are no plants growing in it . . . I started wondering . . ."  
  
"And then, when the pool started bubbling this morning; I knew what had killed Jalekk." he paused with a sigh. "Jalekk was killed by a poisonous gas. Those strange holes that we noticed all the time - that's how the gas escapes. It probably comes from somewhere deeper underground - and then it moves upwards, through those holes. Jalekk didn't know what was happening when the air suddenly started smelling strange."  
  
Next to her, Kairal closed her eyes and rested her head back against the tunnel wall. Koja nodded solemnly. 'May the /spirits/ of these caverns . . . ' Maybe the toxic gas itself had made those holes while the earth had still been soft - and still used them to escape, even though the earth had long hardened into rock. The Jedi swallowed. "At least we now know what to look out for," she looked at Taren, feeling relieved. "How long do you think it'll be before we can go back to get our things?"  
  
"I - I'm not sure. I guess it depends on how much gas gets released from underground . . . We should stay here for quite a while. There are no holes here; so we ought to be safe. I'll switch off the torch if that's okay with you - to save energy." he looked at them both. Koja nodded silent assent.  
  
Taren flicked the switch on the handle of the short glowing staff, and the tunnel was plunged into pitch darkness. The three young people immediately moved closer together, assuring themselves that they were not alone in this black, silent space.  
  
And then, Kairal's full, eerie voice echoed along the stone walls. "/Nahmia'e taesan i, Jalekk. Utaeni n sho. Kidohla ruhasen dra'i, me haurdah Jalekk!/"  
  
Koja felt Taren nudging her in the dark. "What is she saying?" he whispered close to her ear.  
  
"I don't know." she returned, wondering herself.  
  
Almost as if reading their minds, Kairal suddenly spoke for the first time since they'd found Jalekk's body.  
  
"It means 'We have found the cause of you death, Jalekk. Your passing was nobody's fault. Still, we all grieve for you, my love Jalekk!''' her voice was flat compared to what she had sung just moments ago.  
  
"Why do you sing for the dead, Kairal?" Koja whispered in the girl's direction.  
  
"We Hapans believe that when a body dies, the soul travels to a place called Ukari; where all souls go. From this place they can hear and see what goes on in the material world - here."  
  
Koja nodded, although the other two could not see the gesture. It was commonly known among Jedi, as well as the Sith, that when a creature died, its essence returned to its origin - the Force itself, so this could indeed be linked to Kairal's belief.  
  
Silence returned to the passage, and Koja soon started dozing, knowing that Taren would keep his vigil. 


	7. Solace

DISCLAIMER: Surprise, surprise, I STILL don't own the concept of Jedi, Sith or the Force . . . or anything that is familiar to you. The great George Lucas and various authors take the credit.  
  
Chapter 7 - Solace  
  
Much later, when Taren shook her awake, Koja wondered how long she'd been asleep. The Sith stared into her eyes, and his shone in the bright glare of the torch. "Come on, it's time to get our packs."  
  
Koja stood up and stretched her aching limbs. Led by Taren, the two girls found their way back to the cave they had left their supplies in. As they neared the cavern cautiously, Taren concentrated; and, on finding no faint scent on the stale underground air, declared their passage safe.  
  
They returned to the large chamber with its double-pool, and it seemed as if nothing had happened. The pool with the ominous openings in its bottom was also quiet and placid. Hurriedly, they packed up their camp and left the cave as quickly as possible.  
  
The trio followed the same route they'd taken to escape the gas since that was anyway the only way from the cave. Taren led the way past the bend they'd rested in, and after about an hour they found themselves at a fork in the tunnel. They stopped; looking down the other passage that had sprouted from the one they'd traveled in.  
  
"Which way do we go?" Koja whispered, helplessly looking from one tunnel to the other.  
  
Beside her, Taren said nothing. He closed his eyes, trying to find the hint of a draft, or cold air coming from either of the tunnels. But the air was still and had the same temperature even to his Force-honed senses. "Let's take left. We can always turn back."  
  
The girls stared at him uncertainly. 'Turn back . . . when?'  
  
Nevertheless, they followed the initiate down the left passage, wondering where it would lead them. Hopefully, if it was wrong, it would end in something as obvious as a blind alley.  
  
As he trudged on, Taren said, "Jalekk told us we'd be out by tonight. We can't be that far from the exit."  
  
The others didn't reply and followed him further down the passageway.  
  
* * *  
  
Some uncountable hours - or minutes - later, they reached a cavern. It was small, about as big as a Sith's bedchamber and with a ceiling even lower than that of a student's room. Some of the stalagmites reached for the floor of the cave, while some stalactites grew up to almost touch the roof.  
  
Taren saw a dark tract at the back of the almost tiny room, and moved toward it. He had to lie down on his stomach to see into the hole that opened where the wall and ground joined. He looked into total darkness, and brought his glow torch forward to find a narrow space just beyond. He straightened up in the main cavern.  
  
"You two - I'm going in there to see what's going on. Stay right here."  
  
The young women huddled together as the glow from the torch seemed to disappear in the wall.  
  
Jalekk was forced to crawl on his belly with his chin almost touching the rough ground. His heart started pounding in the tight confines of the place. There was just blackness ahead, and he moved carefully, keeping his eyes on the rock just in front of him. Then, after he had laboriously crawled for about four meters, he realized that the light from his torch no longer reflected off two surfaces - the floor and the wall above him. He reached up experimentally with one hand to feel the ceiling just above his head - It wasn't there. Supporting himself on his fingertips, he kicked up with his heels - and they contacted nothing. Slowly, he sat up. The ceiling above him was gone.  
  
Just then a tiny, muffled voice called from somewhere behind him. "Taren! Are you all right?" He recognized Koja's voice, and yelled back, "I'm okay. Stay there!"  
  
After that he stood up slowly, wary of bumping his head, but nothing happened. He raised his glow torch to see how far up the roof was - and found only blackness. The light of the torch could not reach the ceiling somewhere above him. Suppressing a gasp, feeling suddenly very lonesome, Taren moved forward to see how far this gigantic hall went. The gray ground in front of him went on - and on, but then, suddenly, there was blackness again. Curious, the initiate moved walked forward but halted a few centimeters from the inky gloom. He picked up a fist- sized rock from nearby and tossed it over the edge.  
  
He listened for the sharp crack of rock striking rock, but heard none.  
  
Gradually, his mind connected what little information it had on this place to form a picture. He had crawled through a narrow space onto a ledge, and this ledge opened up to a huge hole in the recesses of the earth. Beyond and above this shelf lay a deep pit, of which the powerful light of his flare torch could not even touch the perimeter.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Taren moved back to the narrow hole that lead back out to that almost microscopic cavern he wanted to go back to so badly.  
  
"I'm coming back!" he called loudly as he lay down on his stomach for his crawl back.  
  
"Okay!" the muffled reply floated from somewhere ahead.  
  
When Taren the Sith initiate returned to the girls, he explained to them what he'd found on the other side, and almost cheerfully announced that they were wrong and that the other - the right - passage led to the outside.  
  
The other two had started assembling the framework in his absence, and Taren quickly helped them tie on the last of the canvas sheets and prepared the bedding.  
  
They ate a well-deserved, well-needed supper - perhaps it was even a midnight snack - and relaxed in the yellow warmth the trusty glow torches brought.  
  
Kairal had finished the meal early and she had moved to the opposite side of their walled 'enclosure' to brush her hair and rub oil into her face and hands, and Koja used this opportunity to speak with Taren.  
  
"She is still sad about Jalekk," The Sith went on chewing his meat as if he hadn't heard, but Koja persisted.  
  
''So are you." This finally teased his attention and he looked at her, eyebrows raised in a 'So?' expression.  
  
"Kairal misses him terribly - and not only psychologically, because she misses him in her heart - also physically. Her body had gotten so used to him, but now, he's gone."  
  
"I'm not going to - "  
  
"Shh. Let me finish. Both of you grieve for Jalekk - for different reasons, of course . . . but both of you had a friend in him. You understand how she feels, and vice-versa. Kairal is my friend and I don't want her to pine away. So I ask you, the only request I will ever beg of you, please spend the night with her."  
  
Taren stared into the glow of the lamp, a lock of hair falling into his eyes. "Do you really want me to?"Although Koja had needed to convince herself that it was best, she had finally agreed to her own plan.  
  
"Yes." the Jedi touched his hand and smiled encouragingly.  
  
His hand found hers and he kissed her knuckles. "I'll do as you ask."  
  
Koja felt moisture welling in her eyes. "Thank you." she murmured, nodding to him.  
  
Kairal had returned to her own bed between the two torches, and had started removing her outer clothes.  
  
Koja watched as Taren stepped over to her, and took her by the arm. Then she turned her back on them and started removing some of her clothes as well to feel more comfortable.  
  
Taren stared into the ice crystals that were Vornei si Kairal's mournful eyes. "Don't be so sad . . ." he whispered, running his fingers over her cheek. "Jalekk cannot be hurt anymore, and he knows no pain now . . ."  
  
Kairal stared up at him, and he could see her eyes misting over. "I know - It's just that it's so hard letting go! Everything I do or see or smell reminds me of him."  
  
"I know, Kairal. Come here."  
  
For a moment the girl faltered, eyes darting to the Jedi busy undressing just behind Taren's back. But then she leaned forward and buried her head in his chest, struggling to quell the sobs emerging from her chest. She allowed herself to be pulled down by him as he sunk onto his knees on the soft blankets.  
  
He ran his hands over her back in an effort to comfort her. "It's all right to cry."  
  
Wiping her face, Kairal looked up at him. "Now Jalekk knows how much I felt for him."  
  
Taren nodded understandingly, and leaned down to catch her lips on his. But after just a few seconds she struggled against him and pulled away. "No! Jalekk will avenge himself if he sees us together - he will curse you even from Ukari!" Kairal shook her head vigorously, fear widening her eyes. "Please no! I don't want him to be angry at you."  
  
The young man looked into her eyes again, catching her upper arms with both his hands. "Kairal - if Jalekk truly loved you he would want you to be happy. He realizes that he is not in that position anymore and he will acknowledge that fact. Jalekk knows me, knows that I will not hurt you."  
  
Koja heard the soft murmurs from nearby and listened as they dissolved into kisses. She hoped she had done the right thing in getting them together.  
  
She had indeed been the odd one out. She had felt repugnance and fear at Jalekk's sudden death; but she had never really been sad. And she liked Kairal a lot and had hated to see as both she and Taren slowly wasted from the inside - each in their own, subtle way. Koja had also seen that Taren had been stricken by his fellow's death, even though he had attempted to hide it.  
  
Taren could feel the girl's hungry body pressing against his, and acknowledged Koja's previous words to have been true.  
  
As his mind almost drifted away, he allowed his body to act on instinct. He remembered how he and Jalekk had first met - Jalekk's had been the first face his age Taren had seen when he'd been brought to Irrchanor Kag as a four-year-old boy. He remembered a day in the classroom when Jalekk had beaten him in an astronomics exam, and the leer he'd received. He recalled the many times he'd packed snow into Jalekk's bed, always to find it in his own boots the next morning. The initiate remembered how angry he'd been to find out that his long-time rival would actually accompany him on Initiation. And, more recently, how they had slain a huge gerr with hardly any clothes on. The sounds that had woken him just a few nights ago floated back up into his head, and Taren remembered how they'd discussed it the next day while their slaves bathed. Then, the macabre image of his friend's contorted body flashed vividly in front of his mind's eye.  
  
Taren gasped, and found his groin quivering as Kairal wiped the tears from his cheeks. She rubbed her cheek against his jaw, running a hand over his naked back. "Now Jalekk knows how much you felt for him." she whispered softly. 


	8. Escape

A/N: Roxy: thank you for all the comments along the way. I'm glad you enjoyed my story! Thank you very much to all my other reviewers, your words are sugar on my porridge. (  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Star Wars goodies featured in this story.  
  
Chapter 8 - Escape  
  
When everyone awoke again, Koja everyone seemed much more relaxed then what they had been before.  
  
Koja smiled at Kairal and asked Taren if he was feeling better. The initiate said that he indeed was.  
  
Kairal was chattering and laughing the moment she awoke, and it seemed that the night with Taren had indeed lifted her spirits and possibly set her mind at rest in regard to Jalekk's demise.  
  
Following their normal ritual, the threesome quickly ate breakfast - Taren noticed that their food supply was diminishing - and packed everything. An hour after Koja had woken the others, all of them were on their way again and in high spirits.  
  
The trip down the tunnel to the double mouth of the fork didn't even take that long, because they seemed to have a lot to discuss. The girls told Taren about the different worlds they'd visited, and about their friends. The young Sith in turn gave them his life story from as early as he could remember, even adding the /fond/ memories of their deceased companion.  
  
They reached the end of the tunnel and Taren offered the girls his last bit of water - they hadn't been able to fill their canteens recently. They accepted and the trio set off down the right-hand tunnel.  
  
The ground was sloping upward, and their spirits rose the higher up they went. However, when a cluster of round pockmarks became visible in the walls, they hastened on grimly, trying to shut out any memories that their minds naturally associated with these openings.  
  
* * *  
  
The tunnel finally ended against what looked like a huge pile of boulders and smaller stones.  
  
The girls stared at it hopelessly, fearing the worst.  
  
But Taren smiled sedately at them. "Don't worry - can't you feel that the temperature's dropped slightly? I can even feel a slight breeze!"  
  
The girls stared at him in astonishment before breaking into excited shrieks. "We're getting out of here!" Koja shouted gleefully, totally out of character. "We've made it!"  
  
Kairal almost leapt into the air and shouted the good news to Jalekk who was no doubt still watching from Ukari.  
  
The Sith grinned at them before gesturing to the slanted, uneven rock wall they would be climbing. "Well, we'd better get going."  
  
The huge pile of boulders they had to climb proved easy to navigate, even if it was tiring. The different-sized rounded stones seemed almost affixed to each other, and only seldom did one shift slightly from its position when they came in contact with it.  
  
As Koja climbed, she noticed that the inclining wall was almost ramp- like, and she wondered how exactly so many boulders had fallen to form it.  
  
They were a good fifty meters above the tunnel floor when Taren, who was in the lead by about two meters, suddenly called down, "We're almost at the top. There's another tunnel up here!" he stepped up onto another rock and added, "We'll be out very soon. I can definitely feel a cold draft now!"  
  
The two girls grinned at each other. They could hardly believe that they were so close to open air again - after all this time.  
  
Koja saw the initiate's feet disappearing as he stepped onto level ground above her, but he quickly knelt down on the edge to shine their way for them. "Come on, Koja." He held out his hand to assist her. She gratefully accepted. When the Jedi was standing on level ground once more, Taren also helped Kairal.  
  
All of them could distinctly feel a gentle breeze whispering across their exposed faces. They rested for a few moments, with Taren trying to determine how high they'd climbed. Then they happily set off down what was no doubt the last leg of their underground journey.  
  
After a small distance, Taren's torch showed that the passage wound into a curve, and they followed it.  
  
When they had rounded the corner, Kairal suddenly exclaimed, "Look!" and pointed ahead.  
  
The Sith gasped and quickly flicked off his flare torch. Koja grinned at what the darkness revealed. Up ahead was a small circle of pale blue light. Unable to contain themselves anymore, the threesome hefted their packs and started running to freedom. They laughed and shouted joyfully as they stumbled over the uneven rock floor.  
  
A few moments later they were standing outside the cave in the icy air, blinking and laughing. They fell into each others' arms and stayed like that for long moments, almost drowning in relief. Then Taren broke away and fell to his knees, digging his fingers into the thin layer of snow. The soft, squishy mass felt so good underfoot. The wind stung his face, whipping through his hair. "I never thought I'd miss this wretched ice and cold!"  
  
Koja stared up at the pale gray-blue expanse of the sky above and wanted to cry. "The Force be blessed.' She watched a flock of dark shapes flying doggedly overhead, heading away.  
  
"Koja, look at the sun," Kairal breathed. "I never want to leave from its sight again."  
  
At the Hapan's words, all of them turned their faces to the flaming reddish-rose orb high above. Although it gave no warmth, everyone realized that this small star was probably what they had missed most in the days under the ground.  
  
Taren took another deep breath of the icy air, and started pulling on his mittens, parka and scarf; seeing this, the other two did the same.  
  
Still grinning, he announced, "I know this place. Just over that hill is where a herd of steshma antelope breeds in summer." He wound a coal- black scarf around his neck. ''Irrchanor's about three kilometers away."  
  
Picking up their packs, the rather overwhelmed trio headed off in the direction he'd indicated. "I used to help the older boys with their hunt when I was younger. The Masters sometimes sent them kill some antelopes for food. The hunters use only the Force to run the buck down and kill it . . . "  
  
The rest of their short journey was spent in silence, and they three drank in everything they'd never thought they'd ever miss - the stubbly gray grass; the stunted, gnarled trees; the patches of snow as white as the mist hanging on the mountains of Naboo. There was also the wonderful gravelly, scratchy feel of loose pebbles and springy plants under their soles - in stark contrast to the hard, almost smooth rock floors they had been traveling over.  
  
* * *  
  
The weary trio came over a rise, and the Sith academy Irrchanor Kag squatted before them. Koja had never thought she'd actually consider such a view to be so beautiful and welcoming.  
  
"Come on," Taren urged them on, breaking into a fast jog. "We're home!"  
  
Quickly, the tired girls forced their legs into a fast walk, and they trotted down the hill after the Sith.  
  
"Let's go in by the back door," Taren said, "The front doors are bound to be locked." He led them to a black door set in a high, gray-white wall. He pressed a button set behind a protective covering and the door slid aside, producing a gap exactly wide enough to let one person through at a time. The young Sith ushered them in.  
  
Inside the small courtyard the air was still but cold, the walls protected the space from the winds. Straight ahead was a greenhouse set against one wall of the academy building itself. To the right of the hothouse there was a door leading into the academy. Taren preceded them to it and opened it. The girls filed in, and the warm air that smothered their exposed skin almost made them sigh.  
  
Taren moved on ahead of them. "I have to tell Master Kashorm I've returned." The girls followed him down a corridor and into a hall. A few knots of Sith where in here, and Taren caught one of his fellows by the arm.  
  
The other Sith apprentice shook his hand of. "What?"  
  
"Do you by any chance know where Kashorm is?"  
  
"I think I saw him going to his chambers, or maybe he's in the training hall with his student." the young Twi'lek replied, oblivious to Taren's appearance. "Now, if that's all . . .?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned back to his group.  
  
Taren motioned to the girls and they wove their way through the people to the wide, arched doorway.  
  
"First stop: my Master's chambers." The Sith led them down a few passages lined with doors, past a hall and into another doorway with two statues lining the sides. Koja noticed that the polished black figurines showed two Sith leaders - and she recognized the one - Marka Ragnos. The other was decidedly better looking, but she hadn't seen him before.  
  
By now Taren had reached a closed metal door. He set down his pack and turned around to face them. ''You two, stay here and be quiet." The girls nodded and the Sith activated the door chime.  
  
His Master's deep, familiar voice answered. "Enter, my young apprentice." there was no trace of emotion in the Gornyshian's voice.  
  
Taking a breath, the young man opened the door and stepped into his Master's room. Taren had never been in any Master's suite before and looked around curiously. A rack standing on the floor to one side showed what his Master had taken from other worlds - a glowing plant, a skull of an alien, probably a former foe, and various pieces of glittering jewelry. A curved stand proudly displaying the dozen or so lightsabers Kashorm owned stood next to a small cupboard. The Master's bed was on a raised dais in the back of the room, along with a low writing desk. The pale light shining in by the wall-obscured window had to be intensified by a few glow-panels in the ceilings.  
  
"Taren." His name uttered by the Master brought the Sith student's focus back to the matter at hand.  
  
"Master," he returned, raising his eyes quickly to see Kashorm's familiar bulky form standing in front of the bed.  
  
The Gornyshian beckoned to him. "Come closer."  
  
Taren complied, moving so that he stood about a meter away from the step. He noticed a pretty human woman peeping out from behind his Master's thigh. As he lowered his eyes again, he saw that many worn, dyed black steshma hides carpeted the floor around the bed.  
  
Kashorm looked at the boy, and for a moment pride welled up inside. He had always known that his student would come back successfully from the Trial. "I trust your friend Jeiltar's apprentice is already counting up his side of the story . . . ?" He wanted to see how the two had treated each other on the trip.  
  
Taren bit his lip, focusing on the Master's ankles, staring at the polished whitish barbs. "Jalekk is dead, Master. He died in the caves because of the gas."  
  
Master Kashorm shifted and he felt his slave's deft fingers sliding up his back. This was indeed startling news. But it made him all the more satisfied - he remembered that his student had memorized the tundra- half of the route. Kashorm seated himself on the bed, deeply impressed. This boy hadn't let the fact that the person who knew the way from those caverns had died unsettle him, and had found his way out alone.  
  
The slave's slender fingers stroked his soft back fur, moving up to his shoulders.  
  
"Student," he said. "The boy's slave will have to go back to where he got her from."  
  
Taren chanced a glimpse at his Master. The slave seated behind him was twining her fingers around Kashorm's deadly horns. Her upper body was bare; so much became obvious as the Gornyshian untangled her from his head. The girl shook her hair out of her face, pouted, and defiantly sidled up behind the Master, started massaging his shoulders. She gave Taren a teasing wink and he quickly stared down at the floor again.  
  
After Kashorm had regained his regal composure, he said to the boy, "I have selected a room for you. It is in the east wing, the room next to Hitra's - the student that left for Korriban last month."  
  
Taren nodded. "I am grateful for your wise choice, Master." /Not/ that he had ever been in any of the rooms in that section of the academy.  
  
"I will give you two day's leave - do whatever you want with them - but on the third day your training will continue. You will meet me in the Meditation Room two hours after sunup."  
  
The young Sith smothered the smile that threatened to break out on his face. "Thank you very much, my Master." He turned to leave -  
  
"One more thing, Taren." - and faced his Master again. "You must tell Jeiltar what has happened. Do that now."  
  
Sighing inwardly, he nodded. "Your will, Master." Bowing, Taren left the room, closing the door behind him.  
  
"'I'm getting two days off." he announced, beaming. Then his face fell. "Kairal, you have to go back to that room just off the Leader's Chamber. I'm sorry."  
  
The brown-haired girl sighed but nodded understandingly. "It's all right. I'm sure no one will select me for Initiation /again./"  
  
Taren led the way to the Chamber. "I'll make sure that you get a good shower and a proper meal. After all, if Jalekk . . . were still with us that's what you'd be getting."  
  
Next to Koja, Kairal nodded silently. They stopped at some vaguely familiar doors engraved with gerr.  
  
Koja smiled when she remembered Sitah.  
  
Taren stepped back. "Give your things back to this woman, while I speak to Master Jeiltar." He left his bag next to the door and strode off down the corridor.  
  
The Jedi knocked gently, and, seconds later the door slid open. Sitah's face immediately brightened. "Well, well. Look what the tauntaun dragged in!" With a well-trained eye she made a quick analysis of their conditions. "You two look positively dreadful, but I've seen worse. Nothing a good cleaning-up and a decent meal can't fix!" The raven- haired woman led them into her chamber. So, tell me, did my stuff come in handy; and how did the boys treat you?"  
  
~  
  
In front of Master Jeiltar's suite, Taren took a deep breath. Then he pressed the button to activate the door chime.  
  
"Yes; what?" the Master's voice sounded irritated and weary.  
  
"Great Master, I'm Taren, apprentice to Master Kashorm. I would speak with you."  
  
"You may enter."  
  
Jeiltar looked up from the archaic-looking star chart he had been studying. The room was dim as the only illumination came from the small desk lamp standing on the table next to the chart.  
  
"You may speak," the Master said, voice sounding slightly husky. If it was said that Sith aged gracefully, then Jeiltar was definitely an exception. His sallow skin was drawn tight over his cheeks, and his tall frame was bony. A shock of white hair covered the Force teacher's balding scalp. However, Taren had seen this Master in mock fights and knew that appearance was not to be trusted.  
  
"Sir, I regret to inform you that your student Jalekk passed on to the Force during Initiation."  
  
"How did this happen?" Jeiltar said after a small pause, voice barely audible.  
  
"In the caves, Master. It was an accident - the gas killed him." Taren added as if to quell any thoughts his late friend's Master might have had about his role in the matter. He glanced up at Jeiltar's shadowy features.  
  
"What a waste of potential . . . Jalekk was a good pupil." The Master gave a small, cackling laugh. "Not good enough, it seems."  
  
Taren bowed his head. "I'm sorry for your loss, Master." And he wondered what the man was hiding behind his façade of bitterness and that fragment of smoldering anger. Quietly, he waited for the old Master to dismiss him.  
  
"And boy," Jeiltar's dry voice cracked like a whip through the silent room. "You would do well to remember that there is no such thing as an /accident./ Everything is meant to be. Jalekk's death was meant to be - it was his destiny." The Master paused as if going over the words again. Then he nodded slowly. "Yes . . . yes. You may leave, apprentice of Kashorm."  
  
Taren bowed a bit shakily before leaving the dark chamber.  
  
* * *  
  
A half an hour later found them in Taren's new room. He was very impressed with its size and the /window./  
  
His previous room had been a dark, windowless chamber. The refresher was bigger and even had a mirror. The floor in the main bedroom was strewn with white-speckled pale brown hides - those of steshma antelopes. The wider bed also seemed to have a lot more blankets, sheets and furs.  
  
Koja was standing by the window, gazing at the sunset. Taren moved over to join her. "It's so beautiful." she murmured quietly, staring at the flaming orange orb resting in a fiery golden-white haze on the far horizon.  
  
"I know something even more beautiful." Taren murmured back, gaze never leaving the dying sun.  
  
  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The End ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


End file.
